If you’re a Windows user, there’s no doubt you’re familiar with user accounts. Heck, the idea of multiple accounts on one computer was introduced twenty five years ago with Windows NT. Simply put, this is not new technology. Back in the “old days” every setting associated with user accounts could be found in the Control Panel. Windows 8 and its successor Windows 10 introduced a new way of handling the chore, along with the concept of a Microsoft account versus a local account. Still, both operating systems support the Control Panel method of controlling access. Today, we’ll go “back to the future” and walk you through the Control Panel’s User Accounts applet.
If you’ve been asleep for the last twenty five years, I’ll fill you in on what a user account is. A user account organizes your computer, and controls how much access a given user has to the computer. Specifically, each user has his or her own Library of Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos, making it much easier to keep personal files straight among multiple people. Personal settings such as desktop background, desktop icon configuration, Internet favorites, screen saver selection, and printer settings (just to name a few) stay with each individual user account. Users sign into their accounts with a username and (usually a) password.
The biggest reason to embrace using multiple user accounts is for security purposes. Beginning with Windows Vista, Microsoft launched the User Account Control (UAC). Basically, whenever something could end badly for your system, a warning would pop up on the screen asking if you really wanted to complete the task. If you were using an administrator account, a simple “Yes” would suffice. If you were a standard user, however, you’d need to provide an administrator’s username and password to complete the action. By default, the first person to create a user account (when the computer is first being set up), is a local administrator for the computer. If you’re granting access to someone who isn’t as technologically savvy, or to a child, it would behoove you to set up a new account with lesser privileges.
To add an account, we need to open the Control Panel. In Windows 7, click “Start” then “Control Panel” on the right side of the Start menu. Look for the words “View By” in the upper right of the Control Panel menu. If you see “Category”, you’ll want to click on “Add or remove user accounts” or “Change account type”. If you see “Large icons” or “Small icons”, click on “User Accounts”. In Windows 8, hover the mouse to the far right of the screen, and when the charms appear, click the magnifying glass. Type “Control Panel”, then click on the top result in the list. In Windows 10, type “Control Panel” in the “Type here to search box” to the right of the “Start” button. Follow the steps above. For a change, the steps are the same with Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10 once Control Panel is open. Finally, something is easy! You’re greeted with the option to change the settings of the account you’re currently logged in as. Options include adding, changing, or removing your password, changing your account name or type, as well as changing your profile picture. To create a new account, click on either “Manage another account” or “Manage User Account”. Click “Create a new account” or simply “Add”, and type in the pertinent information for the new account. Select “Standard user” to allow the new user account to make decisions that affect only that account and not the entire computer. Standard users cannot delete important Windows files, install software, or change security settings without providing an administrator’s password. When you’re finished, click “Create Account”. Next, click on the newly created account, and feel free to “Create a password” which will be used for logging into the account.
While I wouldn’t recommend being a “user” in your daily life, it’s important to have as many users as necessary on your computer. While there are plenty of options when managing user accounts, choosing between “Administrator” or “Standard” will usually get the job done. Hopefully you’re now confident with the User Accounts applet in Control Panel. Come back and see us next week as we dive into the “2018” way of managing user accounts.