If you share your computer with someone else, the best thing you can do is give each person their own user account. It takes a couple of minutes, and it’s exactly the same idea on a desktop PC or a laptop.
In the last lesson I explained the different types of account. In this lesson I’ll show you how to add a new user in Windows 11 and Windows 10, as either a Microsoft account or a local account, and how to make it a Standard user or an Administrator.
The Short Version
- Open Settings, then Accounts, then Other users (Windows 10: Family & other users).
- Click Add account (Windows 10: Add someone else to this PC).
- For a Microsoft account, type the person’s email address and click Next.
- For a local account, click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account, and type a name and password.
- New users are always Standard users. To make one an Administrator, click the account, then Change account type.
Why Give Each Person Their Own User Account?
You don’t have to. A whole household can share one account. But separate user accounts make a shared PC much easier to live with, because each person gets their own:
- Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders
- Web browser, with their own favourites, history and saved passwords
- Email, so nobody opens the wrong inbox
- Settings, wallpaper and Start menu
It’s also safer. A child or an occasional user can have a Standard account, which can’t install programs or change important settings without your permission.
And it’s handy for visitors and short jobs. For example, if you’re sending your computer away for repair, a separate account for the repair shop keeps your own files out of sight.
How to Add a New User in Windows 10 & 11
Adding a new user is pretty much the same in both Windows 11 and Windows 10. In both versions you’ll need to be signed in as an Administrator to add someone. If you set the computer up yourself, you almost certainly are.
To begin, click the Start button and type add edit or remove. As you type you’ll see the search results appear.
Click Add, edit, or remove other users in the results.
Or Go Through Settings
You’ll end up in the same place if you open Settings, click Accounts, then Other users in Windows 11 or Family & other users in Windows 10.
The screen that opens is slightly different depending on which version of Windows you have.
In Windows 11 the Other users screen opens. Next to Add other user, click the Add account button.
In Windows 10 the Family & other users screen opens. Click Add someone else to this PC.
How Will the New User Sign In?
A window opens asking How will this person sign in? This is where you decide whether the new user gets a Microsoft account or a local account.
Which Should You Choose?
A Microsoft account is an email address and password the person uses to sign in. If they forget the password they can reset it online, and they get their own OneDrive and Microsoft Store. The first time they sign in, the computer needs to be online.
A local account is just a name and a password that only exist on this computer. No email address is needed and nothing goes online. But if the password is forgotten, only the security questions or another Administrator can get you back in.
My advice: if the person already has a Microsoft account, such as an Outlook or Hotmail address, use it. For a visitor, a child’s homework account you’ll manage yourself, or someone who doesn’t want an email address, a local account is fine.
If you’d like more detail before you choose, I explain the different types of Windows user accounts in the last lesson.
To add a Microsoft account, type the email address or phone number that goes with the account and click Next, then Finish. That’s it. You don’t need their password: they’ll type it themselves the first time they sign in.
To add a local account, click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information. On the Create account screen, click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
Don’t Have a Microsoft Account? Make One as You Go
The Create account screen can also make a brand new Microsoft account for the person, so they don’t have to do it separately first.
- If they already have an email address, such as Gmail or Yahoo, type it in. Microsoft turns it into a Microsoft account and sends a code to that inbox to check it’s theirs.
- If they’d rather have a new address, click Get a new email address and pick an Outlook.com address.
Then follow the steps: a password, their name, their country and date of birth. When it’s finished, the new account is added to your PC.
How to Create a New User in Windows
Creating a new user with a Microsoft account is simple: you enter the email address and Windows does the rest. For this lesson, I’ll carry on and set up a local account.
First, type a user name. It can be anything you like, such as the person’s first name. It’s what they’ll see on the sign-in screen.
Then you can choose whether to give the account a password.
- If you don’t want a password, leave the password boxes empty and click Next.
- If you do want a password, type it into both password boxes, then scroll down the window a little.
My advice is to use a password on any account that will hold personal files or email. Without one, anyone who sits at the computer can open it.
If you added a password, you’ll see that you need to answer three security questions. If the password is ever forgotten, these questions will get you back in, as long as you can remember the answers.
Click the drop down arrows, choose the questions you want to answer, and type the answers. When you’ve completed all three, click Next.
Make a Note of the Questions & Answers
If you forget the password, these questions are a quick and easy way back into the computer.
Write down the answers, paying attention to the spelling, and keep them somewhere safe. You probably won’t need them for a long time. If you’re ever stuck without them, here’s how to reset a forgotten Windows password.
New Windows Users Are Always Created as Standard User Accounts
After you click Next, the new user account is created. You’ll see it appear in the Other users list.
Every new user is created as a Standard user. A Standard user can do everyday things like browse the web, write letters and look at photos. But to install a program or change an important setting, Windows asks for an Administrator’s password first.
If you want the new user to be an Administrator, you’ll need to change the account type.
How to Change a Standard Account to an Administrator Account
To change the new user from a Standard user to an Administrator:
- Click the account name, then click Change account type.
- In the Account type box, click the drop down arrow and choose Administrator.
- Click OK.
The account type changes straight away, though the person may need to sign out and back in before they can use their new powers.
Standard or Administrator?
My advice is to keep everyday accounts, and especially children’s accounts, as Standard. Keep the Administrator accounts for the people who look after the computer.
Just make sure there’s always at least one Administrator account you know the password to. Without one, you can’t add users, install programs or fix much at all.
Adding a Child’s Account?
If you want parental controls, such as screen time limits and website filters, add the child from Settings, Accounts, Family instead, and click Add someone. This needs a Microsoft account for the child, and Windows will help you create one.
Signing In to the New Account for the First Time
The new user doesn’t have to be set up straight away. Whenever they’re ready, they can sign in from the sign-in screen. Every user on the computer is listed in the bottom left corner. They click their name, type their password, and Windows does the rest.
The first sign-in takes a minute or two while Windows sets up the new account. It may ask a few questions about privacy settings, and a Microsoft account may be asked to set up a PIN, which is a quicker way to sign in.
Each new user starts with a fresh, empty desktop, as if the computer were new. Your files, programs and settings stay where they are in your own account.
Programs Are Shared, Files Aren’t
Most programs you’ve installed, such as Chrome or VLC, are there for every user. But each person has their own Documents, Pictures and Downloads folders. In File Explorer, each user’s folders live in the Users folder on the C: drive, in a folder with their name.
How to Switch Between Users
You don’t have to sign out to let someone else use the computer. The quickest way to switch users is:
- Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete together.
- Click Switch user.
- Choose the other person on the sign-in screen and sign in.
You can also click your name or picture on the Start menu and choose the other person from there.
When you switch, your own programs stay open in the background, so you can carry on where you left off. If you’re finished for the day, sign out instead, because programs left open in several accounts slow the computer down.
Other Ways to Add a New User
Settings is the easiest way for most people, and it’s the one I’d use. But there are two other ways to add a user, and both work in the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Add a User with the User Accounts Window (netplwiz)
This is the old User Accounts window from earlier versions of Windows. A nice bonus is that a local account made here asks for a password hint instead of three security questions.
Press the Windows key + R, type this and click OK:
netplwiz- In the User Accounts window, click Add.
- For a Microsoft account, type the email address and follow the steps.
- For a local account, click Sign in without a Microsoft account (not recommended), then Local account.
- Type a user name, a password and a password hint, then click Next and Finish.
Don’t let the words not recommended worry you. That’s just Microsoft preferring you use one of its accounts.
Add a User with Command Prompt
If you’re happy typing commands, this is the fastest way. Right-click the Start button and choose Terminal (Admin) in Windows 11, or search for cmd, right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.
Type this, replacing Sam with the new user’s name, and press Enter:
net user Sam * /addThe star makes Windows ask you for the password, so it isn’t shown on the screen. Press Enter twice without typing anything if you don’t want a password.
To make the new user an Administrator, type this and press Enter:
net localgroup Administrators Sam /addIf the name has a space in it, put it in quotation marks, such as “Sam Smith”.
Can’t Add a New User?
The Add Account Button Is Greyed Out or Missing
This nearly always means you’re signed in with a Standard account. Only an Administrator can add new users. Sign in with an Administrator account and try again, or ask whoever set up the computer.
If it’s a work or school laptop, your employer or school may have blocked it. That one’s for their IT people.
Something Went Wrong When Adding a Microsoft Account
Check the computer is connected to the internet and that the email address is typed correctly. If it still won’t work, add a local account instead. The person can switch it to their Microsoft account later from Settings, Accounts, Your info, by clicking Sign in with a Microsoft account instead.
If the problem is that they can’t remember their password, here’s what to do about a forgotten Microsoft account password.
Windows Keeps Pushing You Towards a Microsoft Account
It does. When you set up a new Windows 11 computer, Microsoft now insists on a Microsoft account, and over the last year it has closed most of the well-known ways around that during setup.
The good news is that once the computer is set up, you can still add a local account for anyone else using the steps above. And if you’d prefer, you can switch your own account to a local account as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I add a new user without a Microsoft account?
A: Yes. When Windows asks how the person will sign in, click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account. That makes a local account, which only needs a name and, if you want one, a password.
Q: Can I add a new user from the sign-in screen?
A: No. You need to sign in with an Administrator account first, then add the new user from Settings. There’s no option to add someone from the sign-in screen itself.
Q: How many user accounts can I have on one computer?
A: There’s no limit you’ll come across at home. Each account takes up a little storage space for its own files and settings, so delete accounts nobody uses any more.
Q: Can I make a guest account in Windows 11 or Windows 10?
A: Not the old built-in Guest account, which Windows 10 and 11 no longer offer. Instead, add a Standard local account called Guest or Visitor, and delete it when your visitor has gone.
Q: Is a user account the same as a user profile?
A: They go together. The account is the name and password. The profile is the person’s own files and settings, kept in a folder with their name in the Users folder on the C: drive. Every new user account gets a fresh profile, which is why making a new user is a common fix when someone’s profile stops working properly.
Q: Can the new user see my files?
A: A Standard user can’t open your Documents, Pictures or Desktop. An Administrator can if they really want to, after clicking past a warning, so only make people Administrators if you trust them.
Q: How do I remove a user I no longer need?
A: From the same Other users page in Settings. Click the account, then Remove. I go through it step by step in the next lesson.
Summary
On your home computer you certainly don’t have to have a different account for everyone. Your whole household could share one.
But giving each person their own Windows user account means more privacy and fewer arguments. Everyone gets their own files, browser, email, settings and desktop, and nobody can delete someone else’s photos by mistake.
- Add a user from Settings, Accounts, Other users.
- Choose a Microsoft account if the person has one, or a local account if they don’t.
- New users are Standard users. Change the account type only for people who look after the computer.
Accounts you add can just as easily be taken away. In the next lesson I’ll show you how to delete a user account you no longer need.
Next Lesson
Types Of Computer Backup
Computer backups are the only real way to protect the data on your PC. All your pictures, documents, videos etc could simply disappear in an instant.
Course Progress – 35 of 37 lessons completed.
Part of the At Home Beginner Computer Course.
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Windows User Accounts
Windows computers have 4 main account types, Administrator, Standard, Microsoft and Local.