Win11 built-in Administrator account issue

Question

Win11 built-in Administrator account issue

Bpelle 0

I've enabled the Administrator acct. on my PC.

It's not displayed on WIN login screen along with other account on PC.

I am able to log into account remotely from another PC in my home but unable to personalize the display (see screenshot).

Edge browser does open.

Also, when I select the Start button or rt. click in Taskbar area for it's settings, nothing appears.

Screenshot 2026-09-08 224245

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hendrix-V 18,515 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Bpelle,

It sounds like the built-in Administrator account was enabled successfully, but its profile may not be loading correctly. Since the account does not appear on the sign-in screen and key Windows components such as the Start menu, taskbar, and personalization features are not responding, the issue may be related to the Administrator profile rather than the account itself.

Here are a few steps you can try:

1, Confirm the Administrator account is enabled

Open Command Prompt as administrator.
Run: net user administrator
Verify that the account is listed as active.

2, Test with another local administrator account

Create a new local account.
Add it to the Administrators group.
Sign in and check whether the Start menu and taskbar work normally.
If they do, the built-in Administrator profile may be corrupted.

3, Repair Windows system files

Open Command Prompt as administrator.
Run: sfc /scannow
After it completes, run: DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
Restart the PC and test again.

4, Check if the Administrator account can be accessed via Switch User

Press Ctrl + Alt + Del.
Select Switch user and see if the Administrator account is available there.

If the issue is limited to the built-in Administrator account while other administrator accounts function normally, using a newly created administrator profile may be the quickest workaround until the profile issue is identified.

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. 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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Bpelle 0 Reputation points

2026-09-09T11:47:50.3366667+00:00

Hi, I ran net user administrator from another admin account on PC.
Bpelle 0 Reputation points

2026-09-09T17:55:07.75+00:00
Hi,

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

has stopped running at 67.5%
Bpelle 0 Reputation points

2026-09-09T18:55:36.8366667+00:00

Created new administrator account named Admin.

Cannot see account at Win login screen (no switch user option).

When I remote in to new account, I receive message (screenshot).
Hendrix-V 18,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-10T02:41:25.92+00:00
Hi Bpelle,

Thank you for sharing the screenshots and test results. The additional information is very helpful.

Since:

The built-in Administrator account is confirmed as active.

SFC found and repaired corrupted files.

A newly created administrator account shows the same behavior.

The error states "The User Profile Service service failed the sign-in. User profile cannot be loaded."

This suggests the issue may be affecting Windows profile creation or the User Profile Service rather than a specific administrator account.

A few additional checks that may help narrow this down:

1, Verify the User Profile Service

Press Win + R

Type services.msc

Locate User Profile Service

Confirm it is set to Automatic and shows Running

2, Check for profile-related errors

Open Event Viewer

Go to Windows Logs > Application

Look for recent User Profile Service errors around the time the sign-in fails

3, Review profile folders

Browse to C:\Users

Check whether folders for Administrator or Admin were created

Note if any profile folders have a .TEMP suffix

4, Retry DISM later

DISM can occasionally appear stuck at a specific percentage for an extended period.

If it does not progress after a long period, restart Windows and run the command again from an elevated Command Prompt.

The profile loading error affecting both the built-in Administrator account and a newly created administrator account is an important clue and may help identify whether the issue is related to profile services, profile corruption, or the Windows installation itself.

Please let me know:

Whether User Profile Service is running.

Any User Profile Service errors shown in Event Viewer.

What folders appear under C:\Users for the Administrator and Admin accounts.

Those details should help determine the next troubleshooting step. Hopefully we can narrow this down further and get the affected accounts working normally again.

Answer 2

Bpelle 0

I decided to reset PC reinstalling Win ver 25H2 (repair version).

Issue resolved.

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