How to Create a Local Account on Windows 10

To create a local account on Windows 10, sign in as an administrator, open Settings, go to Accounts > Other users, select Add account, choose I don’t have this person’s sign-in information, and then select Add a user without a Microsoft account. Type a user name and password, set the security questions, and the new account is ready to use on that PC.

Applies to: Windows 10.

What a local account is, and when to use one

A local account is a user account that exists only on one computer. It is defined on that device, and its rights and permissions apply only there. The user name and password are checked by the PC itself, so signing in does not depend on an email address or an online service.

A Microsoft account is the other choice. It signs you in with an email address and connects Windows to Microsoft services. It is Microsoft’s recommended choice for most people because it works with those services and syncs across devices. A local account makes sense when you want a simple profile for a child, a guest, a shared family PC, or a separate everyday account that is not tied to anyone’s email. On a fresh installation, you can skip the Microsoft account entirely by following the Windows 10 local account setup steps for Home and Pro.

The two types can sit side by side. One Windows 10 PC can have several accounts, some local and some Microsoft, and each person gets separate files and settings.

Before you start

• Use an administrator account. Adding users is a system-level change. Administrators have complete control over the system, including settings, software and files, so the steps below need to be done from an account with that role. To give the new account those rights too, follow the steps to create an administrator account in Windows 10.
• Pick a short user name. A local user name can be at most 20 characters, and it cannot match an existing user or group on the PC.
• Decide how the password will be remembered. A local account has no online reset. Recovery depends on the security questions you set while creating it, or on another administrator on the same PC. You can set a new password in Windows 10 later if needed. Once the account exists, you can also create a password reset disk on a USB drive as a second way back in.
• Know the support status. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. The account tools still work, but the PC no longer gets regular security fixes unless it is enrolled in Windows 10 Extended Security Updates.

Create a local account in Settings

This is the standard route on home PCs, and it is the easiest one for beginners.

1. Open the Settings app and select Accounts. The Accounts page opens with a list of sections for your own account and for other people.
2. Select Other users. On many Windows 10 PCs this entry is labeled Family & other users instead; either way, choose the Accounts section that lists the other people who use the PC. You should see any existing extra accounts here.
3. Under Add other user, select Add account. A Microsoft account window opens and asks for the person’s email address. Do not type anything in it.
4. Select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information. Windows then offers to create a new Microsoft email address. Skip that as well.
5. Select Add a user without a Microsoft account. This is the step that makes the account local. A short form opens for the new user.
6. Type the user name and a password, then set the security questions. Use answers you will still remember in a year, because they are the built-in way back in if the password is forgotten.
7. Finish the form. Windows returns to the Accounts page and the new name appears in the list of other users.

The full procedure is on Microsoft’s page for managing user accounts in Windows, which covers both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Choose standard user or administrator

After the account exists, check which role it has. A standard user can run apps and work with their own files. When something needs administrator rights, User Account Control asks for approval before the change is made. That is why a standard account is the safer choice for children, guests and everyday work, and why it is wise to keep the number of administrators on a PC low. A short-term visitor may be better served by a guest account on Windows 10.

1. In Settings > Accounts > Other users, select the account you just created to expand it.
2. Next to Account options, select Change account type. A small dialog opens with a drop-down list.
3. Pick the account type you want from the drop-down list, then select OK.

Keep at least one working administrator account on the PC at all times. To move administrator rights from one person to another, follow the steps to change the admin account on Windows 10. A spare local administrator account is also what you sign in with when you need to recreate a corrupted profile in Windows 10.

Create a local account with Command Prompt

The net user command creates the same kind of account in one line. It is useful when the Settings window will not finish, or when you are setting up several accounts. Open Command Prompt with administrator rights first, because account changes are administrative tasks.

1. Type net user Sam * /add and press Enter, replacing Sam with the user name you want. The asterisk tells Windows to prompt for the password instead of showing it on the command line.
2. Type the password when prompted and press Enter. Nothing appears on screen while you type. That is normal.
3. Type net user on its own and press Enter. Windows lists every user account on the PC, and the new name should be in the list.

To make that account an administrator from the same window, run net localgroup Administrators Sam /add. To add a display name while creating the account, add /fullname:”Sam Jones” to the first command. The other options are in the net user command reference. The command has no step for security questions, so plan on another administrator handling a forgotten password for an account made this way.

Create a local account with PowerShell

Windows PowerShell 5.1 has a dedicated command for this, called New-LocalUser. Open PowerShell with administrator rights, then run these two lines one at a time:

1. Type $Password = Read-Host -AsSecureString and press Enter, then type the password for the new account and press Enter again. PowerShell stores it in protected form instead of plain text.
2. Type New-LocalUser -Name ‘Sam’ -Password $Password -FullName ‘Sam Jones’ and press Enter. PowerShell prints a line showing the new account’s name.

To give the account administrator rights, run Add-LocalGroupMember -Group “Administrators” -Member “Sam”. The New-LocalUser documentation lists the naming rules: up to 20 characters, not made up only of periods or spaces, and none of these characters: ” / \ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? < > @

Confirm the account works, or remove it

Sign out of your own account, pick the new name on the sign-in screen, and enter its password. If the desktop loads, the account works. Instead of signing out, you can also switch to that account on Windows 10 while your own session stays open.

You can also confirm the account without signing out. It appears under Other users in Settings, in the output of net user, and in the output of the PowerShell command Get-LocalUser. Every local account is also listed in the Local Users and Groups\Users folder in Computer Management.

To undo the change, go back to Settings > Accounts > Other users, select the account, and next to Account and data select Remove. This deletes that person’s sign-in and their data from the PC, so copy anything worth keeping first. The command-line equivalent is net user Sam /delete.

Troubleshooting

There is no option to skip the Microsoft account

The local option is two screens deep. It only appears after you select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information. If you typed an email address on the first screen, go back and leave the box empty.

The add-account option is missing or does nothing

Check that you are signed in as an administrator, because adding accounts needs administrator rights. On a PC that belongs to an employer or school, accounts are usually controlled by the organization, so ask the IT administrator instead of trying to work around it. If the Settings window still will not complete on a home PC, the Command Prompt or PowerShell method creates the same local account.

The user name is rejected

Shorten it to 20 characters or fewer, remove punctuation such as @, / or :, and make sure no other user or group on the PC already has that name.

The password is rejected at the command line

Windows enforces a minimum password length that is set on the PC, and a maximum of 127 characters. Use a longer password and try again.

PowerShell reports New-LocalUser is not recognized

The local accounts module is not available in 32-bit PowerShell on a 64-bit system. Close the window and open the regular 64-bit Windows PowerShell instead of the 32-bit version.

The password for the new account has been forgotten

On the sign-in screen, select the arrow next to the password box, select OK, then select Reset password and answer the security questions that were set when the account was created. If that does not work, the other legitimate options are covered in recovering a Windows 10 administrator password safely.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an internet connection to create a local account?

No. A local account is defined on the PC itself and the PC is its own authority for checking the password, so both creating it and signing in work offline.

Can a local account be an administrator?

Yes. The account type is separate from whether the account is local or Microsoft. Use Change account type in Settings to switch a local account between standard user and administrator. You need administrator rights to make that change, so first log in as an administrator.

Can I have a local account and a Microsoft account on the same PC?

Yes. Each one is a separate user with its own files and settings, and you choose between them on the sign-in screen.

Does this change my own account to a local account?

No. These steps add a new, separate user. Your existing account, its files and its Microsoft sign-in stay exactly as they are.

Will these steps work on Windows 11?

Yes. The Settings route is the same on Windows 11, and the two commands apply to both versions.

Next, sign in to the new account once to make sure the password works, then store the security-question answers somewhere safe so a forgotten password never locks that person out. If you cannot get to the new account without signing out, you may need to enable Switch User in Windows 10.

For other account changes, you can change the Microsoft account on Windows 10, remove the password on a Windows 10 laptop, or change the C:/Users/Username folder name.