How to Go into Another Account on Windows 10

To go into another account on Windows 10, select Start, select your account picture (the round icon near the top of the left edge of the Start menu), and then select the name of the account you want. Windows opens the sign-in screen for that account, you enter its password or PIN, and its desktop loads. Your own account stays signed in behind it, so your open apps and documents are still there when you switch back.

Applies to: Windows 10 Home, Pro and Enterprise (version 22H2 and earlier). The same shortcuts work on Windows 11, but its Start menu looks different, so use the separate guide on switching users in Windows 11 if that’s what you have.

Keep in mind that Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. Security updates now come only through the Extended Security Updates program, which runs through October 12, 2027.

Before you start

“Going into” another account can mean two different things in Windows, and it helps to know which one you want:

• Switch user leaves your session running in the background and opens the sign-in screen for someone else. Your apps stay open, but they keep using memory.
• Sign out closes all of your apps and ends your session first. Anything you haven’t saved is lost.

You’ll also need three things:

• The other account must already exist on this PC. The sign-in screen only lists accounts that have been added to this computer. If it isn’t there, see If the account you want isn’t listed.
• Its password, PIN or other sign-in method. Switching doesn’t skip the other account’s security. You still sign in as that person.
• Permission to use it. Only go into accounts that are yours or that the owner (or the PC’s administrator) has said you can use.

Every method below ends at the same place: the sign-in screen, with a list of accounts in the lower-left corner. Pick whichever route is quickest for you.

Method	Best when	Your apps
Start menu	You’re using the mouse and want to pick the account directly	Stay open
Ctrl + Alt + Delete	An app has frozen or the Start menu won’t open	Stay open
Windows key + L	You’re stepping away and someone else will sit down	Stay open
Alt + F4 on the desktop	You prefer the classic Shut Down Windows box	Stay open
Task Manager	The other account is already signed in	Stay open
Sign out	You’re finished with the PC for now	Close

Switch accounts from the Start menu

1. Open Start. Select the Windows logo in the lower-left corner of the taskbar, or press the Windows key.
2. Select your account picture. It’s in the narrow column on the left side of the Start menu. If you never set a picture, it’s a plain outline of a person. A small menu opens with Change account settings, Lock, Sign out, and below them the names of the other accounts on this PC.

3. Select the account you want. For example, if Alex is signed in and Jordan wants to use the PC, Alex selects Jordan. The screen changes to the sign-in screen with Jordan’s name already selected.
4. Sign in. Type the password or PIN and press Enter. If the account uses Windows Hello (face or fingerprint), use that instead. Select Sign-in options under the box to choose a different method.

The first time an account signs in on a PC, Windows has to set up its profile, so that first sign-in can take a few minutes. Later sign-ins are usually much quicker.

Use Ctrl + Alt + Delete

This route still works when an app has locked up the screen, because Windows handles this key combination itself.

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete together. A full-screen menu of options appears, including Switch user and Task Manager.

2. Select Switch user.
3. On the sign-in screen, select the account in the lower-left corner and sign in.

Lock the PC with Windows key + L, then pick an account

1. Press Windows key + L. Your session locks and the lock screen (a full-screen picture with the time) appears.
2. Click anywhere, press any key, or swipe up on a touchscreen to reveal the sign-in screen.
3. Select the other account in the lower-left corner and sign in.

This is also the habit to build on a shared PC: locking keeps your session safe while you’re away, and the next person can sign in to their own account without touching yours. For more on lock settings, see how to lock your PC screen with a password.

Use Alt + F4 on the desktop

Warning: Alt + F4 closes whatever window is active. Make sure the desktop itself is selected first, or you’ll close an app instead.

1. Press Windows key + D to show the desktop, then click an empty spot on it.
2. Press Alt + F4. The Shut Down Windows box opens.
3. Open the drop-down list, choose Switch user, and select OK.
4. Pick the account on the sign-in screen and sign in.

Read the drop-down carefully before selecting OK. The same list holds Shut down and Restart, which would end every signed-in session.

Jump to an account that’s already signed in (Task Manager)

If the other person never signed out, their session is still running and you can go straight to it.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. If you see only a short list of apps, select More details.
2. Open the Users tab. Each signed-in account is listed with the memory and processor time it’s using.
3. Right-click the account and choose Switch user account, then sign in with that account’s password or PIN.

An account that isn’t signed in doesn’t appear on the Users tab, so use one of the earlier methods for it. The Users tab is also a quick way to see how much memory each background session is taking.

Sign out instead of switching

Signing out is the better choice when you’re done with the PC, when it’s low on memory, or before handing it to someone for a long session. Save your work first.

1. Select Start, then your account picture.
2. Select Sign out. Your apps close and the lock screen appears.
3. Reveal the sign-in screen and choose the other account.

If you prefer typing, open Command Prompt and enter shutdown /l. According to Microsoft’s shutdown command reference, the /l switch signs out the current user immediately, with no countdown, so save everything before pressing Enter.

How to tell it worked, and how to get back

• Check that it’s the right account. The desktop background, Start menu tiles and the files in Documents now belong to the account you signed in to. Selecting Start > account picture shows the other accounts you can switch to, and your own name will be among them.
• Switch back the same way. From the new account, select Start > account picture > your own name, and sign in. Because your session was never closed, your apps and documents reopen right where you left them.
• Tidy up when you’re finished. When the other person is done, they can sign out from their account so their apps don’t keep running in the background.

If the account you want isn’t listed

The menu under your account picture and the lower-left corner of the sign-in screen show only accounts that exist on this computer. If you see just one name, there’s only one account. To check, press Windows key + R, type ms-settings:otherusers and press Enter. That opens the accounts page that lists everyone else who can sign in, which Windows 10 labels Family & other users.

• The person doesn’t have an account yet. An administrator has to add one first. The steps are in the guide to making another account on Windows 10, which covers both Microsoft accounts and local accounts. Microsoft’s page on managing user accounts in Windows also explains adding, removing and changing account types.
• It’s a work or school account on a company PC. On PCs joined to an organization, the sign-in screen may show an Other user tile, where you type the user name instead of picking it from a list. If your account belongs to a different domain, see how to sign in to another domain on Windows 10.
• It’s the built-in Administrator account. On new installations, Windows disables this account once the first user account is created, so a disabled account won’t appear on the sign-in screen. Use your own administrator account instead of turning it on just to switch.

Troubleshooting

Switch user is missing

If Switch user doesn’t appear on the Ctrl + Alt + Delete screen, in the Alt + F4 list, or in Task Manager, a policy called Hide entry points for Fast User Switching is probably turned on. Microsoft’s WindowsLogon policy reference says that when this policy is enabled, the Switch User interface is hidden on the sign-in screen, in the Start menu and in Task Manager. On a home PC you can undo it by following the steps to enable Switch User in Windows 10. On a work or school PC, ask IT, since the setting is usually there on purpose. Until it’s fixed, Sign out still gets you to the other account.

You don’t know the other account’s password

Don’t try to get around it. Use the reset options Windows provides instead:

• Microsoft account (sign-in name is an email address): on the sign-in screen, select I forgot my password below the password box and follow the steps.
• Local account: enter a wrong password once, select OK, then Reset password and answer the security questions set up with the account. Microsoft notes that Windows 10 versions before 1803 don’t have security questions.
• An administrator can set a new password for someone else’s local account through Computer Management > Local Users and Groups > Users, by right-clicking the user and choosing Set Password. Microsoft’s page on changing or resetting a local account password covers these steps.

Windows keeps signing in the same account

If Windows Hello face recognition is set up, the camera may recognize the person sitting at the PC and sign that account in before you can pick another one. Select the other account in the lower-left corner as soon as the sign-in screen appears, or cover the camera for a moment while you choose.

The other account opens to a black screen or loads slowly

A first sign-in, or several busy accounts running at once, can take a while. Give it a minute or two. If the screen stays black, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete, sign out, restart the PC and sign in to that account first.

Windows warns that other people are signed in

Windows may show this when you choose Shut down or Restart while another account still has a session open. Shutting down closes that person’s apps too, and anything they haven’t saved can be lost, so switch to their account and save or sign out first if you can.

Frequently asked questions

Does switching users close the first person’s programs?

No. Switch user leaves every program in the first account running, including unsaved documents. That’s convenient, but it means a download, game or video editor in the background keeps using memory and processor time while the second person works. Signing out is what closes them.

Can two accounts be signed in at the same time?

Yes, that’s exactly what Switch user does. Only one account uses the screen at a time, but several can stay signed in behind it. Each one adds to memory use, so on a PC with limited RAM it’s kinder to sign out of accounts you aren’t using.

Can I go into another account without its password?

No. Each account is protected by its own password, PIN or Windows Hello sign-in, and switching only takes you to that account’s sign-in screen. If the password is forgotten, the owner (or an administrator for a local account) can reset it using the options in Troubleshooting. If the account has no password at all, selecting it signs it in straight away, which is a good reason to add one.

Does the other account see my files?

Each account has its own Desktop, Documents, Downloads and Pictures folders, and its own browser profile and saved sign-ins. Administrator accounts have more control over the whole PC than standard accounts, so Microsoft recommends keeping the number of administrators low and using standard accounts for everyday use.

Once you can move between accounts comfortably, consider giving everyone who uses the PC their own account. It keeps files, browser sign-ins and settings separate, and switching takes only a few seconds.