Your Windows 10 account wasn't set up improperly. A Microsoft Account is the default for home users.
It's also normal for netplwiz to show an account as a member of both Administrators and Users groups.
You don't actually need a second account, but you could add a new administrator account if you wish.
Your account is shown in this diagram as an online account. But you then say you are referring to a local account.
It cannot be both.
And, once again, a user account has one password. It does not have a password and a "local password".
If you have forgotten your password then go online to gmail and reset it. Then, before logging off, create an additional, local, password-protected Admin account so you have a means of getting back into the computer if the change of gmail account password causes any temporary login problems.
- Write your passwords down somewhere secure yet accessible.
Dens
Denis: shortly before I abandoned my use of a MS account, I changed the pw and found that I then had two that worked at the same time - probably the original and the one I changed to. I wondered if somehow it was possible to have one locally stored that was different to the one that worked via the borowser. I didn't like that, and it hastened my move to a local acct.
Martin,
Yes, I also found differences during my use of an MSAccount.
It's not that there are two passwords but that the one and only password might take time to be synced to the device [a syncing operation about which I didn't find any documentation].
It is possible for this to cause login problems after a password has been changed online.
- If it has not been synced then the new password might not work on the device.
- There could also be a strange condition in which neither the new nor the old password would work. I once experienced this and just tried rebooting until I got fed up. I suspect that it only eventually worked because I stopped trying anything and just left it at the login page for an hour whilst being connected to the internet.
This experience reminded me of the usefulness of always having a password-protected, local Admin account on each computer in additional to any accounts used for day-to-day computing. Whatever else might go wrong, I can always be confident in getting into my computer using one of my additional local Admin accounts.
- And all user account passwords are, of course, written down somewhere secure yet accessible. I use one of those dog collar nametag cylinder things -
Here's a [UK] link for these things https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pet-Barrel-.../dp/B00DEB1JVQ There are lots of available choices but I bought ones that, like these, have a slot in the bottom for me to swing off so I can be confident they won't come apart accidentally while I'm out & about.
All the best,
Denis
Passwords: not that I should say this, but mine are written (but obscured) in an Excel file which one can find all over this house in various USB drives. My wife does all the banking, so I can't lose much - famous last words. But if someone steals this PC, they will be able to get whatever they want eventually. I could use something like Bitlocker, but don't like the idea of everything being properly locked up and suddenly inaccessible. Separately I am commenting on ways to disable Windows Defender, so you can see I like to live dangerously. I did carry on running XP until 2018 with no AV at all, and no issues. That may have made me over-confident in my own abilities to spot malware, or recover from it.
But I have just started using an encrypted USB stick (Datashur) - only 4GB, but my secrets are tiny. Now, will I expunge all the un-encrypted info that is lying around? Time will tell, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Regards, Martin
If you don't already you might consider using a password manager. In addition to online usernames and passwords you could store your Windows user name, password, and PIN there. If you ever forget this information you could log into the password manager on your phone and retrieve it there.
When Windows is installed the first user is of user type Administrator. Additional users are of user type Standard unless the added user requires otherwise.
There is also a built-in user named Administrator that has a user type of Administrator. By default this user is hidden but you can un-hide it if you wish using your regular account that has user type of Administrator.
On my desktop I log in using my password. On my laptop I normally log in using my fingerprint. The fallback is my PIN and then my password.Code:To enable built-in Administrator accountThe built-in Administrator account should now be active To disable built-in Administrator account repeat the steps above but use command:
- In the Windows search area type: com
- That should find "Command Prompt App"
- Right-click on that and select "Run as administrator"
- You should see: C:\WINDOWS\system32>
- Copy the following to clipboard: net user administrator /active:yes
- At the prompt paste the text from the clipboard
- You should see: C:\WINDOWS\system32> net user administrator /active:yes
- Press Enter key
net user administrator /active:no
The accounts on my laptop including the hidden Administrator account.
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