Multiple user accounts are a must-have feature for office or school environments, where more than one person might have to access your PC throughout the day. Even if you’re not in a professional setting, it doesn’t harm to have multiple accounts.
Once you’ve set up such multiple accounts, the next question that arises is how you’re going to switch between them. In this article, we’ll focus on the different ways you can switch your user account with ease.
So, let’s jump right in.
How to switch user accounts on Windows 10 or Windows 11
Depending on which version of Windows you’re using—Windows 10 or Windows 11—the specific terminologies to go about switching your user account will be slightly different, but the general methods remain the same. So, let’s look at the different ways you can change your user account on Windows.
1. Switch user account from the Start menu
This is probably the most straightforward way. Simply hit the Windows key or click on the Start button. Then, click on the icon for the user account—the icon looks like a person.
Choose the user account you’d like to switch to, and then select it. From there, you’ll be taken to a new login screen; put in your username and password there and click on Enter.
2. Ctrl + Alt + Delete shortcut
Press the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys together for accessing the options menu. From there, select Switch user and you’ll get taken to a new login screen. There, pick the alternate account, enter the username and password and you’ll be able to change your account.
3. Lock Screen
If you’re on the Window lock screen, you don’t even have to log in for switching your user account; the lock screen gives you the option to switch your user account right from your main menu itself.
If you’re not on the lock screen right now, just press the Windows key + L together and you’ll be taken there. From there, click anywhere on your screen, and your login box will appear.
Look at the bottom-left corner, and you’ll see the option to pick a user account. Click on it, select a user account and you’ll be in.
4. Switch user account through Shut Down Windows
The Shut Down Windows is an alternate way to manage your Windows shutdown, restart, or other similar actions. A popular option among them is the Switch user setting which lets you change your user account. Here’s how you can access your user account:
- Press the Alt + F4 keys together to access the Shut Down Windows dialog box.
- Click on the drop-down menu from the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select Switch user, and click on OK.
That’s it. From the login screen, you can now select the new account you’d like to login into.
5. Task Manager
The Task Manager is most famously known and used for killing all your Windows tasks. Called upon as a last resort for hanged-up processes in Windows, the Task manager can also help you switch between different processes. Here’s how:
To launch the Task Manager, right-click anywhere on your taskbar and then select Task Manager. Head to the Users tab, right-click on the account you’d like to switch to, and select Disconnect. As soon as you do this, you’ll be logged out of your current account and then taken to your login screen.
That’s it; now type in the details for the account you’d like to switch to and you’ll be done.
Switching user accounts on Windows PC
That’s it, folks. Using one of the methods from above, you can change your Windows user accounts without many hassles. But that’s definitely not all we have to say about user accounts; we have, for example, also covered the different ways to both set up a new user account and also the ways to change the user account name, once you’ve set up the account name. So, don’t forget to check out those guides as well.