How To Fix "Your IT Administrator Has Limited Access" Error

Are you unable to go into Settings app or check some details under Windows Settings menu because of the “Page not available. Your IT administrator has limited access to some areas of this app and the item you tried to access is not available. Contact IT helpdesk for more information.”?

This guide will share tips on how to fix this problem. Check out the solutions that you can try below.

Why does “Your IT Administrator Has Limited Access” error occur?

The major cause of this problem is because the user’s account is not permitted to access a component of Windows Security. You may also get this error if your computer has a group policy that prevents you from changing anything beyond the default settings on your computer.

When you try to switch on Windows Defender after a recent Windows 10 upgrade, you may see the error ‘Your IT Administrator has Limited Access.’ This occurs when you use third-party antivirus software.

The fact is, this error can be caused by many different factors. In order to identify the real reason for your case, you’ll have to perform a number of troubleshooting steps.

How to fix “Your IT Administrator Has Limited Access” error?

If you don’t have access to a business network maintained by an IT administrator, try the solutions in this guide below. Otherwise, contact your IT administrator as instructed on the error message.

NOTE: The steps shown in this article are performed on a Windows 11 PC.

Fix #1: Check for Windows updates.

Windows incompatibility might also be the reason of “Your IT administrator has limited access.” It’s possible that your computer isn’t working properly. It is recommended that you keep your Windows operating system up to date. From time to time, there are a few hiccups. The easiest way to deal with them is to keep your machine up to date.

Windows 10 usually downloads the missing updates automatically. You may check for updates manually by following the instructions below:

Click on the Start (Windows) button in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Click on the Gear (Settings) icon.
Select the Windows Update tab from the left sidebar.
Click the Check for Updates button.

Fix #2: Use an Administrator account.

“Your IT Administrator Has Limited Access” error may show up at times if the account you’re using is not an Administrator account. For example, if you’re using the PC of someone, you may be limited to a guest account instead of an Administrator account. It’s possible that the regular account you’re using does not have a specific privilege to do what you’re trying right now, which might cause this problem.

You must first log in as an administrator and check if the problem is present. To have an administrator account, follow these steps:

Click on the Start (Windows) button in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Click on the Gear (Settings) icon.
Click on Accounts.
Select Family & other users.
Click on the Add account beside Add other user.
Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, then click on Add a user without a Microsoft account.
Click Next after entering the new account’s preferred username. You may also create a password for the new account if you want to keep it secure.

After you’ve created the account, you can upgrade the said account to Administrator with these steps:

Click on the Start (Windows) button in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Click on the Gear (Settings) icon.
Click on Accounts.
Select Family & other users.
Select the new account and choose Change account type.
Change the Account type to Administrator and click OK.
Sign in using the new administrator account to check if “Your IT Administrator Has Limited Access” error returns.

Fix #3: Disable third party antivirus software.

This issue may occur if you have any third-party security software installed on your Windows 10 PC. In this situation, you’ll need to use the specific AV removal application to delete any files related with your antivirus program from your PC in order to repair the problem.

Even if you have already removed any third-party security software through the Programs and Features applet and still get this error, there is a good chance that the AV program’s leftover files are still interfering with Windows Security Center’s normal operation.

Fix #4: Turn off Windows Defender.

Windows 10 has its own antivirus program named Windows Defender. In essence, this program will act as your default antivirus and will keep you safe from various dangers. However, this security software may not work properly at times. You can try to disable Windows Defender temporarily to check if it will help in this case.

Here’s what you need to do:

Press the Windows key + I buttons.
Go to Privacy & security on the left.
Click Windows Security.
Click on Virus & threat protection.
Click on Manage settings below Virus & Threat protection settings.
Toggle the switch for Real-time protection to OFF.

Check to see if the issue hasn’t gone away after that. Keep in mind that if you don’t use a third-party antivirus, this approach will work. To avoid any interference, Windows Defender will stop itself if you’re running a third-party antivirus program.

Also, be sure to activate Windows Defender after this troubleshooting to keep your PC secure.

Fix #5: Update your Group Policy settings.

The “Your IT Administrator has limited access” error might be caused by a problem with your group policy settings. One of the ways to fix it is to change the Group Policy settings.

Open the Run dialog by pressing the Windows key + R button.
Type in gpedit.msc and press Enter.
Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Security > Virus and threat protection.
Double-click on Hide the Virus and threat protection area and click on Not configured.
Click Apply then OK.

Fix #6: Edit the registry to change the Group Policy.

Another solution that you can do is to go back to the Registry and edit the Group Policy. Here’s how:

Open the Run dialog by pressing the Windows key + R button.
Type in gpedit.msc and press Enter.
Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Data Collection and Preview Builds.
Double-click Allow Diagnostic Data.
Select Enabled.
From the Options list choose Send required diagnostic data. After doing that, click Apply and OK to save changes.
After confirming, go back to Allow Diagnostic Data and this time, you want to select Not Configured.
Be sure to click Apply and OK before checking for the problem again.

Fix #7: Use the hidden Administrator account.

This problem can arise if you don’t have the proper privileges, as previously stated. You can use the hidden administrator account to troubleshoot the problem if you don’t want to establish a new account.

You probably don’t know it, but Windows has its own hidden administrator account that you may use to fix issues. This is a basic task that may be accomplished by following the instructions below:

Press the Windows key and search for cmd.
Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
Once the Command Prompt opens, type in “net user administrator /active:yes” (without the quotes) and press Enter.

You should then enable the hidden administrator account after that. Switch to the administrator account once you’ve logged out of your user account. Check to see whether the issue persists once you switch to it. You can try to solve the problem using the administrator account if the problem is still there.

Fix #8: Do a System Restore.

For some people, the only effective way to fix this problem is by performing a System Restore. This can be helpful if the main cause of the problem is buried deep within the settings, or if something has changed after installing apps or updates.

A System Restore will return the state of your PC to a previously saved state. If the reason for the error message is due to a recent change or modification, a system restore might help.

Press Windows Key + S on your keyboard.
Type in “system restore”.
Select Create a restore point.
Once the System Properties window shows up, click the System Restore button.
When the System Restore window opens, click the Next button.
If available, select Show more restore points.
Click on the restore point you want and click Next.
Follow the rest of the instructions to complete the task.

How To Fix “Your IT Administrator Has Limited Access” Error