Cant "run program as admin" Dont have admin on PC

Hi Victor M,

Thank you for sharing the details of your situation.

Based on the information provided, it appears your Windows account no longer has administrator privileges, which can prevent certain actions such as running tools as admin or accessing Netplwiz. In addition to Q&A Assist's answer, here are some possible steps that you can try to resolve this without reinstalling Windows or losing your existing Siemens TIA Portal licenses:

Restore admin rights using Safe Mode

• Hold Shift, then select Start > Power > Restart
• Navigate to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings
• Select Restart, then press 4 to enter Safe Mode
• On the sign‑in screen, choose Administrator (no password required in most cases)
• Press Win + R, type netplwiz, and press Enter
• Select your user account > Properties > Group Membership
• Choose Administrator, then apply changes
• Restart Windows normally

After admin access is restored, for security, please disable the temporary built‑in Administrator account: net user administrator /active:no

Additional checking steps that you can try if the issue persists:

• Press Win + R, type services.msc
• Locate Automation License Manager
• Ensure:
  • Startup type: Automatic
  • Service status: Running

If needed, updating the Automation License Manager to the latest supported version can also help restore license detection.

Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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On a Windows 10 home PC, administrative rights are controlled by the account type and group membership. Changing the account type back from Administrator to a restricted role (such as a custom “Siemens TIA engineer” group) removes the ability to run tools like netplwiz or other apps “as administrator” using that account.

To regain admin control without reinstalling or removing applications, one of the following must be true:

1. There is still another local or domain Administrator account on the PC that can be used to promote the student account back to Administrator.
2. The built‑in Administrator account is enabled and accessible so it can be used to fix the student account.

From the provided information, the supported options are:

1. Check whether the current account is actually an Administrator
   Use the documented methods to verify account type:
   • On Windows 7/10‑style systems, open User Accounts and check the account type shown for the current user. If it is not Administrator, an admin account is required to change it back.
   • Alternatively, try an action that requires elevation (for example, changing date and time):
     1. Press Start.
     2. Type timedate.cpl and press Enter to open Date and Time.
     3. Select Change date and time.
        • If no password prompt appears and the change is allowed, the account already has admin rights.
        • If a password prompt appears for another account, the current account is not an administrator and cannot elevate itself.
2. If the PC is joined to a domain (for example, managed by school or company)
   When a computer is joined to a domain, local rights are usually controlled by IT:
   1. Open Control Panel → User Accounts → Change your account type.
   2. Select Properties → Group Membership.
   3. If Administrator cannot be selected, only a domain or local admin can change this. In that case, contact the school or organization IT administrator and request:
      • Adding the student account to the local Administrators group, or
      • Running the required tools as an admin account for installation/licensing.
3. If another admin account exists (local or domain)
   That admin account can:
   • Open User Accounts and change the student account type back to Administrator, or
   • Use Run as different user to start specific tools with admin credentials without changing the student account type:
     1. Locate the application (for example, netplwiz or the installer/exe).
     2. Hold Shift, right‑click the executable or shortcut, and select Run as different user.
     3. Enter the administrator username and password. This lets administrative tasks be performed while keeping the student account in a restricted group so licensing tied to that group is preserved.
4. If no admin credentials are available
   Windows does not provide a supported way for a non‑admin account to promote itself to Administrator. In that case, only the organization’s IT or the person who originally configured the PC with admin rights can:
   • Sign in with an existing admin account, or
   • Enable and use the built‑in Administrator account (if they have access), then
   • Adjust the student account’s group membership so it has the required rights while preserving the existing profile and installed software.

Installed and licensed programs are tied to the Windows installation and user profiles, not to the current account type alone. An administrator can change the group membership of the existing user account (back to Administrator or another group) without uninstalling or losing those programs, as long as the same Windows installation and user profile are kept.

If the PC is school‑managed, the practical resolution is to contact the school’s IT administrator and request appropriate admin access or have them run the needed tools under their admin account so licensing remains valid.

References:

• How to determine your user account type in Windows
• How to troubleshoot Windows Installer errors
• Check if you have local admin rights to install Office
• How to use Run as to start an application as an administrator account
• Enable a Windows 7 Administrator account
• Enable and disable the built-in administrator account