Windows 8 : Working with User Accounts (part 1) - Add a User

You can set user accounts with different privileges (for example, you might want to set up different accounts for your children and use parental controls to make sure they are online only during the hours it’s okay with you). You can also easily change and customize any user accounts you create at any time.

>>>step-by-step: Add a User

Each individual user of your computer can have their own user account so that specific preferences, histories, favorites, and more can be kept with that account. This makes using the computer more convenient for you, because you can find just what you’re looking for as opposed to sorting through dozens of files created by others.

You begin the process of adding user accounts in the PC Settings screen. Display it by choosing the Settings charm and tapping or clicking More PC Settings.

1. Tap or click Users in the PC Settings screen.

2. In the Other Users area on the right side of the screen, tap or click the + to the left of Add a User.

3. The Add a User window appears. Enter the person’s email address.

4. Click Next.

5. Click Finish. Windows 8 tells you to make sure the person knows they need to be connected to the Internet the first time they log in.

>>> Go Further: Why They Push for Microsoft Accounts

When you enter the new user’s email address in the box on the Add a User screen, you’ll notice that Windows 8 suggests that entering the person’s Microsoft account ties them in to other benefits like downloading apps from the Windows Store, sharing files and photos seamlessly, and synchronizing settings across various PCs.

You can choose to create a Microsoft account or a local account for the new user, or you can also sign up for a new Microsoft account by clicking the Sign Up for a New Email Address link in the Add a User screen. Just follow the prompts on the screen to create the new email address, and then the user will be able to enter the new address to log in to Windows 8 on your PC.