How to change the user on your Windows 10 computer so multiple people can use the same PC

Ross James

December 10, 2019 7:08 PM

You can quickly change the user on your Windows computer without logging out of your current session.

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Switching users will hibernate your current session while the other user account is active.
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Say you have a shared computer and another family member or friend needs to "just send a few emails really quick," but you currently have four applications open that you really don't want to save, close, and then re-open in fifteen minutes this is where different user accounts would come in handy.

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How to change the user on your Windows 10 computer

1. Open the "Start" menu by clicking on the Windows icon at the bottom-left of the screen, or by pressing the Windows logo on your keyboard.

How to change user on Windows 10 Ross James/Business Insider

2. Along the left hand menu bar there should be a profile icon. Click on it.

How to change user on Windows 10 Ross James/Business Insider

3. Click on the user you want to switch to. If the account is password protected, you will need to enter the password now.

This session will remain active until another user repeats these steps to access a different user account. If you the user is finished with their session, logging off will free system resources and allow another user to shut down more freely. When in the login screen, the available users will be shown at the bottom-left of the screen. You can switch between any of these accounts from this screen.