5 Easy Ways to Switch Users in Windows 11

Jan. 11, 2022

If you have got multiple user accounts on your Windows 11 computer, includingonline Microsoft and local accounts, you can switch users in Windows 11 seamlessly without losing any apps, tabs, or useful data. It is mostly useful when you haveset up parental controls on Windows 11and need to switch between the parent’s and child’s accounts. Without signing out of one account, you can seamlessly switch the user account, and there are multiple ways to do that. So in this article, we bring you a detailed guide on how to switch users in Windows 11.

In this tutorial, we have explained five different ways to change users in Windows 11. We have added keyboard shortcuts, manual methods, commands, and more. You can expand the table below and move to any section you want.

Unlike previous versions of Windows, you can actually switch users in Windows 11 without signing out from the current profile. Here’s how that works:

Press the Windows key once oropen the Start menu. Here, click on your user profile at the bottom left of theWindows 11 Start Menu.
Next,choose the useryou want to change to, and voila, you will move to the log-in screen of that user account.
Now, simplyenter the password or PIN,and you will move to another user account without much hassle.

Another easy way to switch users in Windows 11 is from the lock screen, and we have detailed the steps for this method right here:

First, use theWindows 11 keyboard shortcut“Windows + L” to lock your current user account. Note: This is different from signing out, so no open tabs/ programs will be lost while switching the user.
On the lock screen, choose the other user account you wish to access from thebottom-left corner.
That’s it. Now, enter thepassword/ PIN, and you will be able to switch the user account just like that.
If you are old school like me, you could simply press the “Alt + F4” keyboard shortcut to bring up the “Shut Down” prompt.
Here, choose “Switch user” from the drop-down menu, and press Enter or click OK.
Next, you will be taken to thelock screen, where you can easily move to a different user account in Windows 11.
Another simple way to move between user accounts on Windows 11 is using the “Ctrl + Alt + Delete” keyboard shortcut. Once you use this shortcut, click on “Switch user” from the options that show up on your screen.
Then, you will be taken to theWindows 11 lock screen, where you can open a different user account from the bottom-left corner.

People who are more comfortable with command-line tools can fire up Command Prompt (CMD), PowerShell, or Windows Terminal to move between user accounts on their Windows 11 PC.

To do so, open any command-line tool of your choice andexecute the below commandbelow. You don’t need administrator privilege to run this command.
You can also use the “Windows + R” keyboard shortcut to open the Run prompt. Here, enter thetsdisconcommand to directly lock your current user account.
Using either of the steps above, you will move to thelock screenright away. Then, you can enter the PIN/ passcode for another account and change the user account easily.

You can press the “Windows + L” keyboard shortcut to lock the current user account. And then, from the bottom-left corner, you can easily log in to a different user account in Windows 11.

Just executetsdisconin Command Prompt, PowerShell, or in the Run prompt to switch users in Windows 11.

Press “Alt + F4” or “Ctrl + Alt + Del” keyboard shortcut and choose “Switch Users”.

Login as a Different User Account in Windows 11

So these are the five different ways you can move to a different user in Windows 11 without losing data or closing any program. For most users, the Start menu is a simple and straightforward way to switch users, but for those who want more options with keyboard shortcuts and commands, we have mentioned that too. Anyway, that is all from us. In case you want todelete Temp files in Windows 11to free up crucial space, follow our linked guide. And toremove Bing search results from Windows 11 Start menu, we have a dedicated guide for that as well. Finally, if you have any questions, let us know in the comments section below.

Passionate about Windows, ChromeOS, Android, security and privacy issues. Have a penchant to solve everyday computing problems.