In this article, you will learn about How to share a Windows 10 or 11 PC step by step. So without much to do, let’s get started.
Computers may be shared by two or more permanent or temporary staff in some offices. That may sound like a formula for catastrophe, but Windows 10 and 11 offer excellent features for enabling several users to share a PC without allowing them to view, modify, or delete each other’s files and directories, use or remove each other’s applications, or modify the system as a whole.
These technologies can also be of big use to those who work from home and occasionally need to share a computer with a member of their family. Each user can only access their own files, directories, apps, and preferences thanks to the ability to set up and log in with separate user profiles. In this essay, I’ll explain how to proceed.
For Windows 10 version 22H2 and Windows 11 version 22H2, both of which were made available in the autumn of 2022, this article has been updated. Depending on whatever version of Windows 10 or 11 you have, some features might be slightly different.
[How to preview and roll out updates for Windows 10 and 11]In this article, you will learn-
It’s simple to share a computer with several users with Windows 10 and 11. You achieve this by setting up unique accounts on the computer for each user. Everyone receives their own storage, desktops, applications, settings, and so forth.
All of the accounts are created and managed by the PC’s administrator, who also has access to a number of system settings. The first time Windows is installed or used on a computer, the administrator account is created. (As I’ll discuss later in the article, you can also give other user accounts administrator status.)
An administrator can easily set up a user account. You will initially need the email address of the individual whose account you wish to create. For them to be able to use all of their current Windows settings, access their OneDrive storage, and download and install apps from the Microsoft Store, this should ideally be the sign-in information for their Microsoft account (such as a @outlook.com or @hotmail.com address or a corporate email address at an organization that uses Outlook). Anyone can create a free Microsoft account.
We’ll assume for the time being that the person you wish to add already has a Microsoft account. But keep in mind that you can’t put up limits for family members until they sign in with a Microsoft account. I’ll show you how to set up an account later if they don’t have one and don’t want to register for one. Children’s accounts can only be created with a @outlook.com or @hotmail.com domain.
In Windows 10, click the Start button, choose Settings, and then select Accounts to add a user. Select Family & Other Users from the menu on the left of the Accounts screen. Go to the “Other users” area and select Add someone else to this PC to set up an account for family members. Instead, select Add a family member under the “Your Family” section to create accounts for family members that allow you to set age restrictions, game and app restrictions, etc.
Enter the email address of the person you wish to create a user account for on the following screen, and then click OK. Depending on their age, select from the next screen whether they will be an “organizer,” who can alter family and safety settings, or a “member,” who can only edit their own settings. Next, select Invite. An email is sent to the recipient. To share the computer, they must click Accept Invitation. They join your family unit as well.
The user’s name now appears on the “Family & other users” accounts page when they accept the invitation. (The name appears there as well, even if it is shown as pending before the person accepts the invitation.) The Start menu opens when you click the icon for the current user of the computer, which is located halfway down on the left side of the screen.
In Windows 11, go to Settings > Accounts > Family > Add someone, and then proceed as with Windows 10 to add a user. On the Microsoft Family Settings page, the user’s name will be displayed. To view any family accounts on the computer, click the Start button, then click the symbol for the current user’s account in the lower left corner of the screen.
There are two ways to begin utilizing the new account if you are the owner of it. On the left side of the Start menu, about halfway down, you can click the icon for the current user’s account. That shows every account on the computer. To sign into your account, click your username and enter your Microsoft account password.
Or you might restart the computer. You and the administrator’s accounts will now be visible on the Windows login screen. You can use your Microsoft account password to sign in by clicking your account name.
The account will have exclusive OneDrive storage of its own. The local files and folders of one user will not be available to the other. The Windows apps that you have installed will be visible to you, but not to others, and vice versa. Files and settings will sync with all other devices linked to your account because it is a Microsoft account.
without utilizing a Microsoft account, creating a new user account
If the other individual doesn’t have or prefers not to have a Microsoft account, setting up a shared PC requires a little extra effort.
Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users > Add someone else to this PC in Windows 10 to complete the process. (If you’re adding a family member without a Microsoft account, you’ll choose the same option, but keep in mind that you won’t be able to activate parental controls.) Click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information on the screen that opens. Then select Add a user without a Microsoft account at the bottom of the following screen.
Go to Settings > Accounts > Other Users > Add account in Windows 11. Click I don’t have this person’s sign-in information on the screen that opens. Then select Add a user without a Microsoft account at the bottom of the following screen.
A username and password can now be added. Now, the account name will seem exactly as it would have if you had created it with a Microsoft account.
A local account is what you generate when you do this for a person. It does not grant access to OneDrive or sync settings across devices like a Microsoft account. Additionally, when using a local account, it is impossible to download or set up any Microsoft Store apps. They won’t be able to install desktop programs by themselves either; when they attempt to do so, they are required for the administrator’s account password. So in order to install desktop apps, an administrator must be close by to enter the password.
Switching between accounts
It’s simple to move from the account currently using the machine to your own after your account has been set up. The Start button, the icon for the current user’s account located halfway down on the left side of the Start menu, the account you wish to switch to, and the password are all you need to use a Windows 10 device that someone else is presently using.
Click the Start button on Windows 11, select the symbol for the current user’s account in the lower left corner of the screen, click the account you wish to switch to, and then enter the password.
Of course, the lock screen, which shows all of the user accounts on the device, also allows you to log in.
When multiple people use a PC with different accounts, it’s important to remember that even when they aren’t using it, they are still signed into the account until they sign out or the PC is restarted. Therefore, even though only one person is actively using the computer, multiple people may be signed into accounts. (This does not imply that users can access the accounts of other users. A single user will still need to re-enter their password in order to access their account because there can only be one active account at a time.)
In Windows 10, select the Start button, then click the symbol for the current user’s account halfway down on the left side of the Start menu to view all of the accounts for the computer. Take a look under each account. The proper accounts will have the phrase “Signed in” next to them.
To view all of the accounts on the computer in Windows 11, click the Start button, then click the symbol for the current user’s account in the lower left corner of the screen. Take a look under each account. Similar to Windows 10, the proper accounts will have the words “Signed in” next to them.
What does it signify when someone logs into their account even when they aren’t using it right now? When a user signs in, Windows records the state of their user account, including the programs they were using, the files they were working on, etc. They won’t have to waste time starting apps, opening files, etc. when they switch back to utilizing their account because everything will already be set up.
This is helpful, but it can also be a concern because it could result in missed time at the office. All logged-in users on a computer are automatically disconnected when it is restarted or shut down. If the computer is switched to another account while someone is logged into the first account and the person using that second account restarts or shuts down the machine, the first person will lose whatever work they haven’t yet saved.
The result? Always log out of your account before allowing another person to use the same computer. It only takes a little while: At the top of the Start menu, click your account name, and then click Sign out.
Managing accounts
It’s straightforward to grant another user administrator access. If you wish to grant administrator permissions to a specific account in Windows 10, go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users, click the account, click Change account type, and then click Account type. Click OK after selecting Administrator. That’ll finish it. The same procedure can be used later to convert it back to a regular user account.
To make an account administrator in Windows 11, go to Settings > Accounts > Other users, click the down arrow next to the account and then click Change account type. Similarly to Windows 10, select Administrator and press OK.
To delete an account in Windows 10, go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users, click the account, and then click Remove. A screen notifies you that when you remove the account, all associated data—including files, desktop settings, programs, music, and more—is also deleted.
Click the down arrow next to the account you wish to delete in Windows 11’s Settings > Accounts > Other users, then click Remove. then follow the Windows 10 instructions.
Once you have it in your possession, you’ll discover that this is an easy and practical method for sharing a Windows 10 or 11 PC among several users.
One additional piece of advice: how to activate a sort of super-administrator account that is concealed in Windows 10 and 11.
As I previously mentioned, the account you create when you install Windows is the administrator account for the computer; it grants you control over how Windows 10 or 11 functions on the computer, as well as the creation of other accounts and other features. However, during installation, Windows 10 and 11 also create a covert administrator account.
One benefit of using this hidden account over a regular administrator account is that you won’t encounter any User Account Control (UAC) alerts. Due to the lack of those annoying UAC alerts, troubleshooting and customizing Windows becomes considerably simpler.
This concealed administrator account is sometimes referred to as an elevated account, while a regular account is referred to as an un-elevated account.
Utilizing and activating the secret administrator account is simple. The identical instructions apply to both Windows 10 and 11:
Verify that you are logging in with your regular Administrator account.
Type “command prompt” into the search bar, and then select Run as Administrator in the pane that displays on the right. Look at the title bar of the prompt. The message will say, “Administrator: Command Prompt.”
Type net user administrator /active: yes at the command prompt and press Enter.
That activates the administrator account that is concealed. It will be visible on the Start menu screen and the login screen in Windows 10; simply click it to use it just like any other account. It will be visible on Windows 11’s login screen when you select your account icon from the Start menu.
Follow steps 1 through 3 to disable the secret account, then run net user administrator /active: no at the command prompt and press Enter.
The most recent change to this article was made in September 2023. It was first published in March 2016.
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