logout and login

Hi Jim Shepherd, 

I understand how inconvenient this can be, especially when you need to stay on Windows 10 for your current software compatibility. Since you are unable to sign in with an administrator account, Windows may prevent changes to system-level settings such as Location permissions. 

To help narrow this down, could you please confirm a few details? 

• When you try to sign in as administrator, what exactly happens? For example, do you see an error message, an incorrect password message, or does the administrator account not appear on the sign-in screen? 
• Is your current account shown as an administrator account? You can check this from Settings > Accounts > Your info. 
• Could you also confirm which edition of Windows 10 you are using, Home or Pro? 
• Do you see any message such as “Some settings are managed by your organization” or “This setting is managed by your administrator”? 
• Is this a personal device, or is it connected to a work or school account? 

In the meantime, please try these checks: 

1. Restart the PC, then try signing in with the administrator account again. 
2. Try using Switch user: 

• Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete. 
• Select Switch user. 
• Check whether another administrator account appears on the sign-in screen. 
• If it appears, select it and try signing in. 

While my initial response may not fully resolve the issue, I truly appreciate your cooperation as we work together toward identifying the most effective solution. Thank you so much for your understanding.  

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

Use the built-in Administrator account and check for temporary-profile issues, then adjust sign‑in behavior.

1. Enable and sign in with the built‑in Administrator account If a Windows update changed permissions and the normal admin account is not working correctly, the built‑in Administrator account may be disabled:
2. Select the search box on the taskbar, type Computer Management, and open the Computer Management desktop app.
3. In the left pane, expand Local Users and Groups > Users.
4. In the middle pane, locate the Administrator account.
   • If the Administrator icon has a down arrow, the account is disabled.
5. Double‑click Administrator to open Properties.
6. Clear the Account is disabled checkbox and select Apply.
7. Sign out of the current account (see step 3 below) and sign in again using the Administrator account.
8. Once signed in as Administrator, change the location permissions and any other settings needed.
9. Check whether Windows is using a temporary profile If Windows signed in with a temporary profile, changes to permissions and settings may not persist:
10. Select Start > Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.
11. If a message appears saying You are logged on with a temporary profile. Roaming options are currently unavailable, restart the device and sign in again.
12. You may need to restart more than once before the normal profile and its files/settings return.
13. Back up any work done while in the temporary profile to external storage, because it is deleted when signing out.
14. Ensure proper sign‑out and sign‑in behavior If the system appears to “log out and back in” automatically, it may be configured for automatic logon:
15. Open Control Panel > System.
16. Go to the Network Identification tab and select Change.
17. In the Network Identification Wizard, select This computer is for home use and not part of a business network.
18. Select Users must enter a user name and password.
19. Complete the wizard with Next > Finish.
20. Sign out and then sign back in with the desired administrator account.
21. Basic sign‑in/sign‑out steps

• To sign out: select Start, select the user picture or Accounts icon, then select Sign out.
• To sign in: at the sign‑in screen, select the desired account (including Administrator if enabled), then enter the password/PIN.

After successfully signing in as an administrator (either the usual admin account or the built‑in Administrator), location permissions can be changed from Settings > Privacy > Location.

References:

• Find lost files after upgrading Windows
• User Account Access in Windows
• Cannot Log Off Current User in Windows