Introduction
In this article, we will learn how to create a local user account on the Windows 10 and Windows 11 operating systems.
When you purchase a new computer and set up Windows for the first time, Microsoft will ask you to create an online account so that you can access Microsoft products and services with just one login. If you don’t want to create a Microsoft online account, you can create a Windows local user offline account.
What is a Local User Account?
A local user account is an offline account that is created on your Windows operating system, and all the information is stored locally on your computer instead of sharing it with Microsoft. Although Microsoft accounts have their own benefits, if you are using Microsoft subscriptions, you can use Microsoft 365, Microsoft Store, and store data on the cloud with OneDrive, sync your data across devices, and much more.
Types of Local User Accounts
Microsoft offers two types of local user accounts: Administrator and Standard. Each offers different types of privileges to access devices and applications.
The administrator user account provides complete system controls, which means that the user can change settings, install and uninstall applications, perform elevated tasks, and can do everything on this computer system.
The standard user account is the most restrictive account type. The user cannot install or uninstall any application, cannot perform elevated tasks, and can change settings that do not affect other users.
Create a Local User Account from Windows Settings
Follow the steps below to create a local user account by using Windows settings.
Create a Local User Account on Windows 10
To create a local user account, ensure that you have logged in with administrator privileges.
1. Click on the Start menu > select Settings > Accounts.
2. Select family and other users. You will see other users in some versions of Windows. In our case, it’s other users. Click “Add someone else to this PC.“
3. At the Microsoft account, select “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information” instead of entering an email address.
4. Select “Add a user without a Microsoft account.”
5. It will bring up the account setup screen. Fill in the information such as username, password, and security questions that can be used for recovery in case you forget your password and then click “Next“.
6. A new user account has been created.
Create a Local User Account on Windows 11
To create a local user account, ensure that you have logged in with administrator privileges.
1. Click on the Start menu > select Settings.
2. Select Accounts > and then select Family & other users.
3. Under Other users > click Add account.
4. At the Microsoft account, select “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information” instead of entering an email address.
5. Select “Add a user without a Microsoft account.”
6. Fill in the information such as username, password, and security questions that can be used for recovery in case you forget your password and then click “Next“.
7. A new user account has been created.
Create a Local User Account using Computer Management
Computer management is the built-in collection of Windows administrator tools that help to perform administrative tasks such as user management, disk management, scheduling a task, etc.
If you are using Windows 10 Pro edition, then follow the steps below. The Computer Management option is not available in Windows 10 Home Edition.
The steps below are applicable to both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
1. To open the Computer Management window, use any of the below mentioned steps.
- On the desktop screen, right-click the “This PC” icon and then select “Manage“.
- Search for computer management apps and then click “Computer Management“.
- Press Win+r and type in “compmgmt.msc” and press enter.
2. Click on Local Users and Groups > right-click Users and select New User.
3. Fill in the new user information and click “Create” to create a user account. Make sure to use a password that you can remember because the password hint feature is not available here.
By default, the option “User must change password at next logon” is selected, and the first login will prompt for a password change. Alternately, you can uncheck this option and select the “Password never expires.”
4. A new user has been created.
Create a Local User Account using the Command Prompt
The Command Prompt is a command-line interpreter program that comes standard with most Windows operating systems. It is a very useful program to perform simple to advanced administrative tasks or perform Windows troubleshooting tasks.
The Windows Command Prompt is also known as the Windows Command Processor, or CMD, or Command Shell. The fastest way to create a user account is by using the Command Prompt.
The steps below are applicable to both Windows 10 and Windows 11.
1. Type cmd in the search, right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator. If you do not run a command prompt with administrator privileges, you won’t be able to create a user account.
2. Type the following command line by replacing the username and password to meet your requirements and press enter.
net user username password /add
For example
net user milly Skjr0$(#123 /add
If the user account is created, you will get a message “The command was completed successfully“.
Run the net user command to check if a user has been created or not.
Follow the below post on how to turn off automatic Windows Update.
https://easytechhub.com/how-to-turn-off-automatic-updates-on-windows/
Conclusion
Windows allows you to create an offline local user account, and all the information for this account is stored locally. In this blog post, we learned how to create a local user account in Windows by using multiple methods.