How to Switch Users in Windows 11

To switch users in Windows 11, click Start, click your account picture at the bottom-left, and choose the other account from the list. You can also press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and choose Switch user, or lock the PC with Windows + L and pick another account on the sign-in screen. With any of these, your apps and documents stay open in the background, so you can switch back later and pick up where you left off.

Method 1: From the Start menu

1. Click Start.
2. Click your account picture or name at the bottom-left.
3. Select the other user from the menu.
4. That user signs in with their own PIN, password, or Windows Hello.

Method 2: Ctrl + Alt + Delete

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
2. Click Switch user.
3. Choose the account on the sign-in screen.

Method 3: Lock, then choose

1. Press Windows + L to lock the PC.
2. Click or press a key to dismiss the lock screen.
3. Select the other account in the bottom-left corner of the sign-in screen.

Method 4: Alt + F4 on the desktop

1. Click an empty part of the desktop (or press Windows + D).
2. Press Alt + F4 to open Shut Down Windows.
3. Choose Switch user from the drop-down and click OK.

Method 5: From Task Manager

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. Open the Users page (the people icon in the left menu).
3. Right-click the other signed-in account and choose Switch user account.

The Users page also shows how much memory and CPU each signed-in account is using. If another person left their session open and it’s slowing the PC down, an administrator can right-click it and choose Sign off. Any unsaved work in that session is lost, so check with them first.

Switch user vs. sign out

• Switch user keeps your apps running in the background. It’s quick, but your session uses memory while the other person works.
• Sign out closes all your apps first. Use it when you’re done for the day or the PC is short on memory. In the Start menu, click your account picture and choose Sign out.

Save your work before switching, in case the other user restarts or shuts down the PC. Windows warns them that someone else is signed in, but they can still proceed. If an account on this PC is no longer needed once you have switched away from it, you can remove an account from Windows 11 from the Other users list.

Add another user

If the other person doesn’t have an account yet, go to Settings > Accounts > Other users and click Add account. The rest of the setup is covered in adding another user in Windows 11.

Troubleshooting

Switch user is missing

Fast user switching may be turned off by a policy, which is common on work PCs. On a personal PC, it can be turned off with a Group Policy or registry setting called Hide entry points for Fast User Switching; set it back to Not Configured to restore it. Where to find that setting is shown in enabling Switch User.

The other account isn’t listed

The account may not exist on this PC, or it’s set to hidden. Check Settings > Accounts > Other users.

Switching is slow

Each signed-in account uses memory. Sign out of accounts you’re not using, or close heavy apps before switching.

Frequently asked questions

Can two people use the PC at the same time?

Not on one screen. Only one user is active at a time, while the other’s session waits in the background.

Is this the same on Windows 10?

Very similar, with a few small differences covered in switching users in Windows 10.

Summary

Click Start, select your account picture, and choose another user, or use Ctrl + Alt + Delete > Switch user, or lock with Windows + L. Apps stay open in your session until you sign out.

Related: signing out of a Microsoft account in Windows 11.

Matt Jacobs

Matt Jacobs writes and maintains the guides on Support Your Tech, which he started in 2017. He spent most of his career keeping small-business PCs running and still takes the occasional consulting job, so the steps here come from fixing the same problems on other people’s computers. Every guide is checked on his own Windows 11, Windows 10, Mac, iPhone and iPad before it goes up.