I recently powered up my Windows 11 PC and noticed that the login screen only shows an "Other user" option, with none of my previous accounts visible. I used to log in with a Microsoft account, but now it seems completely gone. In an attempt to regain access, I created a local user account using the net user command, and that went through successfully. However, when I tried adding this new account to the Administrators group using net localgroup, it threw an error and didn't allow me to do it. I also attempted to enable the built-in Administrator account with the net user Administrator /active:yes command, but that account is still not appearing on the login screen. When I returned from vacation, both my original account and the mysterious "Other user" were showing, but now it's just the "Other user". I've also tried to boot into Safe Mode, but it keeps redirecting me back to the same "Other user" login screen. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this or recover access to my original account, I'd really be grateful for any assistance!
2 Answers
Have you tried logging in with "Administrator" in the username field of the "Other user" option? Just leave the password field blank and press Enter. Sometimes that works for hidden admin accounts.
Before making any big changes, make sure your data is backed up, just in case. If the recovery options are giving you a hard time, you might want to try using a USB password reset disk. Sometimes, you can set a new password that way, but make sure it’s not set to wipe anything. If you run into errors while doing this, it’s good to check if there’s an underlying issue with the account itself.
I did try that, but it said the account is disabled. I also attempted to enable the Administrator account from recovery mode using the command net user Administrator /active:yes, but it still shows as disabled. Safe Mode won’t let me in either—it just sends me back to the "Other user" screen.