If you’re comfortable typing command lines, it’s actually a lot faster to create a local account on Windows 10 using Command Prompt.
To create a local account on Windows 10 with Command Prompt, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command and press Enter:
net user USER_NAME PASSWORD /add
In the above command make sure to change USER_NAME and PASSWORD with the credentials you want to use for the new user account.
Type the following command to add the newly created account to the Administrators group and press Enter:
net localgroup administrators USER_ACCOUNT /add
In the command, make sure to replace USER_ACCOUNT with the account name you want to add to the administrators group.
If you want to test the new changes, sign-out and you’ll notice the new user account sitting in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Then select the new user account and sign in.
It’s also possible to create a local account using PowerShell, and here are the steps.
How to change local account using Command Prompt
To change the account type from standard to administrator, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to add the newly created account to the Administrators group and press Enter:
net localgroup administrators USER_ACCOUNT /add
In the command, make sure to replace USER_ACCOUNT with the account name you want to add to the administrators group.
Once you complete the steps, the next time the users signs in, the account will have administrative privileges, meaning that the users will be able to install apps, modify system settings, and pretty much unlimited access to the device.
How to delete local account using Command Prompt
To change the account type from standard to administrator, use these steps:
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the result, and select the Run as administrator option.
Type the following command to add the newly created account to the Administrators group and press Enter:
net user USER_ACCOUNT /del
In the command, make sure to change USER_ACCOUNT for account name you want to delete.
Once you complete the steps, the next time the users signs in, the account will have administrative privileges, meaning that the users will be able to install apps, modify system settings, and pretty much unlimited access to the device.
Update January 29, 2020: This guide was originally published in October 2015, and it’s been updated in January 2020 to reflect the new changes.