Windows · Accounts & Family
Add or Remove Additional Accounts on This PC
Other Users lets you add separate sign-in accounts for other people who share this PC — family members, guests, or coworkers — each getting their own desktop, files, and settings, isolated from yours.
How to open Other Users
- Open Settings > Accounts > Other users.
- Select 'Add account' and choose whether it's a family member or someone else.
- Enter their email, or choose 'I don't have this person's sign-in information' to create a local account.
- The new account appears on the sign-in screen the next time the PC restarts or locks.
What you should know
- Add a family member's Microsoft account or a local account with no Microsoft sign-in.
- Each added user gets their own separate desktop, documents, and app settings.
- Remove a user and optionally delete their account data from this specific PC.
- Set an added account as a child account to enable Family Safety controls automatically.
Why it matters
Sharing one Windows account between multiple people means everyone sees each other's files, browser history, and app settings — a separate account per person keeps that private and prevents accidental changes to someone else's setup.
Best practices
- Give each person who regularly uses the PC their own account rather than one shared login.
- Use the child-account option for kids so Family Safety controls apply automatically instead of being set up separately.
- Remove a user's account (and optionally their data) once they stop using the PC, especially for guests or former coworkers.
Common problems and fixes
- A newly added user can't sign in.
- Confirm the invite was accepted — Microsoft-account invites require the other person to accept before the account becomes active on this PC.
- Removing a user doesn't free up disk space.
- Removing the account leaves their files by default unless you explicitly choose to delete the account's data during removal.
Tips and tricks
- Set up a dedicated 'Guest'-style local account for visitors instead of sharing your own login temporarily.
Frequently asked questions
Can another user see my files?
No — each Windows account has its own separate user folder that other standard accounts can't access by default.
Does adding a local account require an internet connection?
No — local accounts (without a Microsoft sign-in) can be created and used entirely offline.
Related settings
- Family SafetyMicrosoft Family Safety lets you create a family group to manage screen time limits, content filters, spending, and location sharing for children's Windows, Xbox, and mobile devices from one place.
- Access Work or SchoolAccess Work or School lets you connect this PC to an organization's Azure AD / Microsoft Entra environment so you can access company or school email, apps, and resources, and so IT can apply required security policies.
More Accounts & Family guides for Windows
- Email & AccountsEmail & Accounts lists every account — Microsoft, work/school, or other — that your installed apps (Mail, Calendar, OneDrive, and third-party apps) are allowed to use to sync data. You can add new accounts here or remove ones apps no longer need.
- PasskeysPasskeys let you sign into supported websites and apps using Windows Hello (your face, fingerprint, or PIN) instead of typing a password — they're stored securely on this device and can't be phished or reused if a website is breached.
- Sign-in OptionsSign-in Options controls every way you can sign into this PC — Windows Hello face and fingerprint recognition, PIN, security key, or password — and lets you require sign-in after sleep for extra security.
- Your InfoYour Info shows the account currently signed into this PC — your name, profile picture, and whether it's a local or Microsoft account — with quick links to manage your Microsoft account online.
- Linked DevicesLinked Devices shows phones and other PCs connected to your Microsoft account, enabling features like continuing a browser tab from your phone on this PC, or seeing your phone's photos and notifications through the Link to Windows / Phone Link app.
- Find My DeviceFind My Device uses your Microsoft account to record your PC's last known location, helping you locate it on a map if it's ever lost or stolen.