How to Create and Add a New User Account in Windows 8

information   Information
A user account is a collection of info and settings that you use to interact with your PC and personalize Windows to work the way you want. With user accounts, several people can easily share a single PC. Each person can have a separate account with their own settings and preferences, like a desktop background or screen saver. User accounts also help control which files and apps each person can access and what changes they can make to the PC.

This tutorial will show you how to create and add a new Microsoft account or local account in Windows 8.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to create a new user account in Windows 8.

Note   Note
You can create two kinds of accounts: a local account for this PC only, or a Microsoft account, which works on all the PCs running Windows 8 that you use.

Microsoft account:

  • You use your Windows Live ID email address and password to sign in to Windows 8.
  • When you sign in with a Microsoft account, your PC is connected to the cloud.
  • Your friends’ contact info and statuses are automatically up to date from your Hotmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other accounts.
  • You can get to and share your photos, documents, and other files from SkyDrive, Facebook, Flickr, and other accounts without signing in to each one.
  • Your personal settings are synced to any PC running Windows 8 that you sign in to, including your themes, language preferences, browser favorites, and apps.
  • You can get apps in the Windows Store and use them on any PC running Windows 8 that you sign in to.
  • Easily reacquire your Metro style apps on multiple Windows 8 PCs. The app’s settings and last-used state persist across all your Windows 8 PCs.
  • You can associate the most commonly used Windows settings to your user account. In this way, the saved settings are available when you sign in to your account on any Windows 8 PC. So your PC will be set up just the way you are used to.
  • You can also save time with sign-in credentials, because now the same credentials are available for the different apps and websites you use and you can easily get back into them without having to enter credentials every time.
  • You can automatically sign in to apps and services that use Windows Live ID for authentication.


Local account:

  • You use a user name (and password if you want one) to sign in to Windows 8 like you did in previous editions of Windows.
  • A local user account gives you access to only the PC it's on. You will need a separate user account created on each PC you use.
  • None of your settings will be synced between the PCs you use, and you won't get the benefits of connecting your PC to the cloud.


warning   Warning
When you add new user accounts to your PC, they will be standard accounts by default. You will need to change the account type after creating the new account if you would like it to be a different type instead of "standard".




Here's How:

1. Do step 2 or 3 below for how you would like to start.

2. Open PC settings, and go to step 4 below.

OR

3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the User Accounts icon.

A) Click/tap on the Manage another account link. (see screenshot below)

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B) Click/tap on the Add a new user in PC settings link, and go to step 4 below. (see screenshot below)

Note   Note
If you have your UAC settings set to the top Always notify setting instead of the default setting or below, then you will see a Add a user account link instead, and you will need to go to step 5 below instead.


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4. In PC settings, click/tap on Users on the left side, then click/tap on + Add a user under Other users on the right side. (see screenshot below)

Note   Note
If you have your UAC settings set to the top Always notify setting instead of the default setting or below, then you will not see a + Add a user option in PC settings, and you will need to go to step 3 above instead.


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5. Do either step 6 or 7 below depending on if your would like to add a Microsoft account or local account.


6. To Add a Microsoft Account in Windows 8

A) Type in your Windows Live ID email address, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you do not have a Windows Live ID email address, then click on Sign up for a new email address link to get one.

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B) If this is a child's account (standard user) that you would like to setup and turn on Family Safety (parental controls) for, then click/tap on the box to check that option. Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)

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C) When the new user signs in for the first time, they will need to be connected to the internet and enter their Windows Live ID password for this email address.
NOTE: Microsoft account passwords are case sensitive and must contain at least 8 characters, but up to 16 characters. If you've been using a password that has more than 16 characters, enter the first 16.

D) Go to step 8.

7. To Add a Local Account in Windows 8

A) Click/tap on the bottom Sign in without Microsoft account link. (see screenshot below step 6A)

B) Click/tap on the Local account button. (see screenshot below)

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C) Type in user name, password, and password hint for the new user account (standard), and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: If you do not want to create a password for this user account, then you can leave the password fields empty. It is strongly recommended to have a password for better security.

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D) If this is a child's account (standard user) that you would like to setup and turn on Family Safety (parental controls) for, then click/tap on the box to check that option. Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)

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E) Go to step 8.



8. You have now created and added a new user. The new user's C:\Users\(user-name) folder will only be created after the user signs in for the first time.

9. If you like, you could change this user account's type to be an administrator account.
10. If you like, you can press the Windows key to return to the Start screen.


That's it,
Shawn



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