Windows 10 uses the same command line utility slmgr as Windows 7 for activation with a MAK (Multiple Activation Key).Follow these simple steps to activate your Windows 10. Open up an elevated command prompt.; Enter the following slmgr -ipk your-mak-key-here slmgr -ato. You can easily activate your windows 10 operating system. Just follow the few steps and enjoy using Windows 10. Step1: You need to press Windows Key + X then you can select Command Prompt (Admin).
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As you know, towards the end of the Windows 10 installation or setup, Windows setup prompts you to create a user account. Although Windows gives the Administrator user status to this user account, Windows 10 automatically generates another super or elevated Administrator account during the installation and the account is hidden by default due to security reasons.
The built-in Administrator account is usually used to troubleshoot Windows. Unlike the normal Administrator account, this hidden by default or built-in Administrator account runs all programs and tools with admin rights by default, which means that the annoying UAC box will not appear when you attempt to run a program as administrator. This also means that all programs that are launched from this account are running without any restrictions.
There are three ways to enable the built-in or hidden administrator account in Windows 10. You can enable the same via Command Prompt, Local Users and Groups or Local Security Policy.
IMPORTANT: As the hidden Administrator launches applications and tools without any restrictions, it’s wise to enable and use the account only if you know how to use it. Also, we recommend you assign a password to the account as soon as you enable it.
Method 1 of 3
Enable the built-in administrator account in Windows 10
Step 1: Open elevated Command Prompt (Command Prompt with admin rights). To open Command Prompt as administrator, you need to type CMD in Start search box and then simultaneously press Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys. Be sure to simultaneously press all three keys.
When you see the UAC prompt, click Yes button.
Alternatively, you can navigate to Start, All Apps, Windows System (double-click on Windows system folder), right-click on Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator option. Click Yes button when you see the UAC box to open elevated Command Prompt.
When the elevated Command Prompt is launched, “Administrator” will appear in the toolbar of the Command Prompt (see below picture).
Step 2: In the elevated Command Prompt, type the following command and then press Enter key.
Net user administrator /active:yes
Step 3: Close the Command Prompt. That’s it!
The newly enabled built-in Administrator account can now be accessed by clicking your user account name in the Start and then clicking the Administrator account. This hidden Administer will now also appear on the login screen of Windows 10.
Tip: To disable the built-in Administrator account, simply type Net user administrator /active:no in the elevated Command Prompt.
Method 2 of 3
Enable the hidden administrator account
Step 1: Open Run command box by simultaneously pressing Windows + R keys.
Tip: You can pin Run command to Start by following our how to pin Run to Start menu in Windows 10 guide.
Step 2: In the Run command box, type lusrmgr.msc and then press Enter key to open Local Users and Groups window.
Step 3: Here, in the left-pane, click Users folder to see various account names in the middle pane.
Step 4: Now, double-click on the Administrator entry in the middle pane to open its properties dialog.
Step 5: Under the General tab, uncheck the option labelled Account is disabled, and then click Apply button to enable the built-in admin account. That’s it!
Close the Local Users and Groups window. The enabled Administrator account should be visible on the login screen. Also, you can quickly switch to or sign in to the Administrator account by clicking the user name on the Start and then clicking Administrator.
Method 3 of 3
Enable the hidden administrator account
In this method, we are going to enable the hidden Administrator account using Local Security Policy and this feature (Local Security Policy) might not be available in all editions of Windows 10.
Step 1: Open Run command box. To do so, as you likely know, you need to simultaneously press Windows + R keys.
Alternatively, you can type Run in the Start search box and then press Enter key to open Run command box.
Step 2: In the Run command box, type secpol.msc, and then click the OK button to open Local Security Policy.
Step 3: In the left pane of Local Security Policy window, click Local Policies, and then click Security Settings.
Step 4: On the right-side, look for the policy entry named Accounts: Administrator account status, and then double-click on the same to open its Properties.
Step 5: Under the Local Security Setting tab of the opened Properties, select the option titled Enabled, and then click Apply button to enable the hidden Administrator account.
That’s it! Good luck.
Windows 10 has been out for a little over a week now, and a good portion of Windows users have already utilized their free Windows 10 upgrade. As soon as you upgrade your system, Microsoft automatically activates your Windows 10 copy in the background, assuming that you’ve upgraded from genuine Windows 7 or 8 versions.
Since the Windows system doesn’t display any “Successfully Activated” type of messages, there will be a bit of confusion whether the installed or upgraded version of Windows is activated or not. The confusion is particularly true if you’ve reinstalled Windows 10.
So, if you ever need to, here is how you can check to see if your Windows 10 system is activated or not through different methods.
Check Activation Status through System Window
One of the easiest ways to check the Windows 10 activation status is to look at the System applet window. To do that simply press the keyboard shortcut “Win + X” and select the “System” option. Alternatively, you can also search for “System” in the Start menu.
Once the System window has been opened, scroll down and you will find the wording “Windows is activated” under the Windows Activation section if your system is activated.
This window even displays the option to change the product key if you ever need it, like when you are upgrading from one edition to the other.
Check Activation Status through Modern Settings
Other than using the regular Windows System applet to check the activation status, you can also use the Modern control panel. This is particularly useful if you are using Windows 10 in tablet mode.
To start, click on the Notifications icon on the bottom right corner of the taskbar and select the “All Settings” option.
The above action will open the Settings panel. Here, select the “Update and Security” option.
In the “Update and Security” window, navigate to the Activation tab and you will find your Windows activation status in the right pane. If your Windows is activated, you will see the “Windows is activated” message next to “Activation.”
Just like in the System applet, the window also hosts the “Change product key” button if you need it.
Check Activation Status through the Command Prompt
You can also use the regular old Command Prompt to check your Windows Activation status. To do that press “Win + R,” type
cmd
and press the Enter button to open the Command Prompt. Alternatively, you can also use the power user menu (Win + X).Once the Command Prompt window has been open, enter the below command and press the Enter button.
As soon as you press the Enter button, Windows will display a new window showing the activation status. Since I’m using Home edition on my laptop, it is displayed as the Core edition. If you are using the Pro version, then the change will be reflected in the window.
It is that simple to check your Windows system activation status using different methods.
Do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences after using the above methods to check whether your Windows system is activated or not.
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