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Your Guide to User Account Settings in Windows 11

You have seven different sign-in options to work with

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 22, 2022 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section How to Find Account Settings List of Account Settings Your Info Email & Accounts Sign-in Options Family Windows Backup Other Users Access Work or School Changing User Accounts Lots of Windows settings are accessible in the appropriately named Settings tool built-in to Windows 11. It's here that you can access things like the sign-in options to change how you log in, or where you go to change user account settings for you or other users.

How to Access Windows 11 Account Settings

Right-click the Start menu and choose Settings, or use the WIN+i keyboard shortcut to get there without a mouse. Then, select Accounts from the menu on the left, and scroll down to the Account settings area.

What Are the Windows 11 User Account Settings

There are several options available from the Accounts settings page: Your infoSign-in optionsEmail & accountsFamilyWindows backupOther usersAccess work or school Below are descriptions of those options and explanations of why you'd want to access those particular settings. Some of those options are only available for users logged in to their Microsoft account. Those discrepancies are noted below.

' Your Info' Settings

This is where you can change your profile image and switch between using a local account or a Microsoft account. If you're logged in to your MS account, there's a link to access additional settings, like for privacy and payments, at account.microsoft.com.

' Email & Accounts' Settings

Accounts used by email, calendar, contacts, and other apps are listed here. Go here to remove existing accounts, or to add accounts from places like Outlook.com, Google, iCloud, and more.

' Sign-in Options' Settings

There are multiple sign-in options in Windows 11: Facial recognition: Log in by showing your face.Fingerprint recognition: Log in by providing your fingerprint.PIN: Log in with a PIN (numbers, letters, or symbols).Security key: A special USB device can be plugged in to authenticate your account.Password: Log in with a password.Picture password: Log in by selecting a specific part of a photo. These are the settings you'd access to set up any of those login methods or to change them, like to remove your Windows 11 password. Here's how to auto log in to Windows 11 If you're logged in with your MS account, those last two methods are usable if the option to only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts is turned off. Further down this screen are additional settings. One decides when Windows should make you sign in again if you've been away. Another option is for dynamic lock, which, when turned on, lets Windows automatically lock your device when a Bluetooth-connected phone falls outside the Bluetooth range (i.e., Windows will lock the device when you walk away). You can also have restartable apps start back up automatically when you sign back in to your account. In addition to those sign-in options is one to show or hide your account details on the sign-in screen, and another to use your sign-in information to automatically finish setting up the device after an update.

' Family' Settings

If you want other people to have access to this computer with their own user account, this is where you include them. You can add Microsoft accounts, including child accounts that work with Microsoft Family Safety.
You won't see this screen if you're using a local account. Adding other users from a local account is possible through Email & accounts. Although all computer users are located on this screen, this isn't how you change user accounts. See the bottom of this page for those instructions.

' Windows Backup' Settings

Back up files, apps, and more so you can have the same setup on other devices you log in to. You can set up OneDrive folder syncing, and turn on "Remember my apps" and "Remember my preferences" so those things are accessible across all your devices. Another way to back up everything is with a dedicated online backup service

' Other Users' Settings

This is where you can add local user accounts, change another user's account type, and remove other local accounts. This is also where you can turn the device into a kiosk. Primarily meant for businesses but equally usable on a personal computer, this mode displays just one app of your choosing. It's used to let other people access the computer in a locked-down mode where a single app—for example, Mail—is open, but they can't use any other app or browser files and folders.

' Access Work or School' Settings

This is where you can set up a work or school account to access things like apps, email, and more on the network. You can enter your school/work email address or join the computer to Azure Active Directory or a local Active Directory domain.

How Do I Change User Accounts in Windows 11

The Other users section of Settings lists all the users connected to the computer. It might make sense to go there to change user accounts, but that's only partially true, depending on what you mean by that. Go to that Settings screen to change a user's account type between Standard User and Administrator, depending on the level of rights you want the user to have. Choose Change account type to do that. Something else you can do is change the user account you're logged in as. This isn't possible through Settings. Instead, switch users in Windows 11 by right-clicking the Start button and going to Shut down or sign out > Sign out, and then select the user you want to log in as. The WIN+L shortcut is another option. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Use Quick Settings in Windows 11 How to Map a Network Drive in Windows 11 How to Change the User Folder Name in Windows 10 How to Create a Password in Windows How to Create and Delete User Accounts in Windows 10 How Do I Create a Windows Password Reset Disk? How to Change Another User's Password in Windows How to Set up Parental Controls in Windows 10 How to Change Your Password in Windows What Is a Service? (Definition of a Windows Service) How to Change the Desktop Background in Windows 11 How to Use the Microsoft Family Safety App 15 Best Free Remote Access Software Tools (Oct. 2022) How to Reset a Windows 8 Password How to Add a User to a Chromebook The Difference Between Local and Microsoft Accounts in Windows Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies