Windows 11 · Windows
Switch User Accounts in Windows
Source-checked About 10 minutes
Answer
Select Start, open your user picture or Accounts icon, select More, then choose the account you want to use. Switching users keeps the current session open, so save sensitive work first.
Prepare the correct account, device, or project
Confirm the affected Windows device, edition, account permissions, and exact error or missing component before changing drivers or system settings. Install pending supported updates, keep the PC connected to power, and create or identify a recovery route before a driver or account change. Avoid registry cleaners, generic driver sites, activation scripts, and commands copied without an exact Microsoft-supported purpose.
Open the account menu
Select Start, then select your user picture or the Accounts icon.
Choose another user
Select More, then choose the user account you want to switch to.
Sign in to that account
Enter that account’s credentials and save sensitive work in the existing session before you leave it open.
Verify the result
After switching, verify the account name on Start, access only its intended files, and confirm applications and network resources use the expected identity.
Use the supported recovery boundary
If the expected result is unavailable or labels differ, stop before deleting additional data, changing unrelated settings, or using a third-party workaround. Recheck the exact account, device, permissions, eligibility, and current interface, then compare the result with the linked Microsoft Support guidance. Preserve the original content and exact error so the product's official support channel can diagnose this specific switch user accounts in windows task.
Video walkthrough
If it does not work
- If the account is absent, verify it was added and permitted to sign in. Do not delete the old profile or its user folder merely to force account switching.
Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows.
Follow the linked first-party guidance if labels differ after a platform or app update.