So, one of the best practices of Windows security is to rename the Administrator account to something else so that it will be much harder for the attackers to gain access. Moreover, if you are in a server environment, the change is a must. In case you are wondering how to do it, here is how you can rename the Windows Administrator account.
Using Windows Command Prompt
To rename the administrator account using the command prompt, press “Win + X” and select the option “Command Prompt (Admin)” from the power user menu. If you are using Windows 7 or Vista, search for the command prompt in the start menu, right click on it and select the option “Run as administrator.”
Once the elevated command prompt has been opened, simply copy and paste the below command into the command prompt to rename the Administrator account. Don’t forget to replace “newUserName” with your custom username.
Once the command has been executed, Windows will display a confirmation message similar to the above image. That’s all there is to do. You’ve successfully changed the default administrator account username.
Using Windows Group Policy Editor
If you are in a server environment, then using Group Policy Editor is a good way of managing things. To start, press “Win + R,” type gpedit.msc and press the Enter button to open Group Policy Editor.
Now, navigate to the following section “Computer Configurations -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> Security Options”, find the policy “Accounts: Rename administrator account,” and double click on it to open the respective policy settings.
Once the policy settings windows has been opened, simply enter the new administrator account username and click on the “Ok” button to save the changes.
That’s all there is to do. Either restart or sign out of the current session to reflect the changes. Alternatively, you can use the below command in the elevated command prompt to force update the Group Policy settings.
Using Windows Computer Management Utility
Renaming the Administrator account using the Computer Management utility is by far the easiest way. To do that, open the Control Panel, open Administrative Tools and double click on the shortcut “Computer Management” to open the respective utility. If you are using Windows 8, press “Win + X” and select the option “Computer Management.”
Now, navigate to “System Tools -> Local Users and Groups -> Users.” Here you can find the administrator user account with the name “Administrator” in the right pane.
Just right click on the user account “Administrator” and select the option “Rename,” then rename it to the name of your choice.
Once renamed, the window will look something like this.
That’s all there is to do, and it is that simple to rename the Administrator account in Windows. Hopefully that helps, and do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences about using the above methods to rename the default administrator account in Windows.
