Diagnostic finding
Administrator accounts and passwords
This check reads the local accounts on the computer: who has administrator rights, and which enabled accounts Windows does not require a password for.
Find the message your report showed
This check can produce two different messages, and a report can show both.
Account enabled with no password required
Anyone who can reach this computer can sign in as ACCOUNT_NAMES. Set a password, or disable the account if it is not used.
With one account the title reads "1 account is enabled with no password required".
The check reads a Windows setting called PasswordRequired. When it is off, Windows will accept a blank password for that account. It does not show whether a password has actually been set, so the account may already have one. Treat it as something to check, not as proof the account is open.
What to do
- Identify who uses the account named in your report. If nobody does, it can be disabled.
- If it is in use, sign in to it and add or change the password under Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, Password.
- If it is not in use, ask us to disable it rather than deleting it, so nothing stored under it is lost.
Three or more administrator accounts
Every administrator account is a way for malware to reach the whole computer. Day to day use is safer from a standard account: ACCOUNT_NAMES.
An administrator account can install software and change anything on the computer. Anything that runs while an administrator is signed in, including something opened by mistake, can do the same.
What to do
- Decide which people actually need to install software or change settings.
- Before changing anything, confirm that at least one administrator account will remain and that you know its password. Without one, nobody can install updates that need approval or undo the change.
- Change the others to standard accounts under Settings, Accounts, Other users (Family and other users in Windows 10), Change account type.
What the check reads
Run in PowerShell opened as administrator. This lists the members of the Administrators group and changes nothing.
Get-LocalGroupMember -Group AdministratorsThen list the local accounts and whether Windows requires a password for each. This also changes nothing.
Get-LocalUser | Format-Table Name, Enabled, PasswordRequiredOnly rows where Enabled is True matter. Windows ships with built-in accounts such as Guest and DefaultAccount that are disabled, and the check ignores disabled accounts.
What this page is based on
Observed or documented
- The same setting in Windows domains is called PASSWD_NOTREQD. A Microsoft article explains that it permits a blank password and does not mean the account has one: Understanding and Remediating PASSWD_NOTREQD (archived, 2016).
- The group membership and account list above are the same reads the diagnostic tool makes.
Our judgement
- Three administrator accounts as the point worth reporting is our threshold, not a Microsoft figure.
- That day to day use is safer from a standard account is long-standing security practice and our advice; it is not a measured rate.
When this is worth a call
Call us if you do not recognise an account in the list, if you are not sure which account is safe to change, or if the computer belongs to a business and the accounts are managed by someone else.
Reviewed November 4, 2026 · Applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11 · Finding security.admin_accounts, wording from Connected Geek Diagnostic Tool 0.9.28