How to Add a Local User Account to a Windows 10 or 11 PC

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A step-by-step guide to adding new accounts on Windows 11 & 10

Co-authored by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: September 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Adding on Windows 10
|
• Adding on Windows 11
|
• Make a Local User an Administrator
|
• Video
|
• Tips

|Show more |Show less

Want to add a new user to your Windows PC without creating a Microsoft account? It's easy to create a local user on Windows in your Settings, and even make the account an administrator if you'd like. Unlike a Microsoft account, local user accounts do not require having a Microsoft email address. Read on to learn how to add a create a local user account on your Windows 10 or 11 PC.

Quick Steps

1. Open Settings and click Accounts.
2. Click Family & other people (Windows 10) or Other users (Windows 11).
3. Click + Add someone else to this PC or Add account.
4. Click I don't have this person's sign-in information.
5. Click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
6. Enter the account information for the new user.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Add a New Local User on Windows 10

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1. 
   1
   Open your Windows Settings. Click the Start

   

   button and select the gear icon to do so

   

   .

   • You can also press Windows key + i at the same time to open Settings.
2. 
   2
   Click Accounts.
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3. 
   3
   Select Family & other people from the left pane.
4. 
   4
   Click + Add someone else to this PC. It's under the "Other people" category at the bottom, which means you might have to scroll down. Doing so will prompt a window to appear.
5. 
   5
   Click I don't have this person's sign-in information. It's the link at the bottom of the window.
6. 
   6
   Click Add a user without a Microsoft account.
7. 
   7
   Enter the user details and click Next. Type a username and enter a password the new user will use to log in to the PC. You can also add a password hint in case the user forgets their password. Once you click Next, the new local account will be ready to use.
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Section 2 of 3:

Add a New Local User on Windows 11

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1. 
   1
   Open your Windows Settings. Click the Start button and select the gear icon to do so.

   • You can also press Windows key + i at the same time to open Settings.
2. 
   2
   Click Accounts in the left panel. If you don’t see the left panel, you'll need to expand the window until it appears.
3. 
   3
   Click Other users. You'll see this in the right panel under the "Account settings" header.
4. 
   4
   Click Add account. This will pop up a Microsoft login window, but you'll still be able to bypass it and make the account local.
5. 
   5
   Click I don't have this person's sign-in information. Another Microsoft window will appear.
6. 
   6
   Click Add a user without a Microsoft account. This opens the "Create a user for this PC" window.
7. 
   7
   Enter this user's account information. Type a username for the person who needs to use the PC, then enter and confirm a password. You will also need to enter some security questions the user can use if they forget their password.
8. 
   8
   Click Next to create the local account. The new user can now use their username and password to log in to this PC.
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Section 3 of 3:

Make a Local User an Administrator

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1. 
   1
   Open your Windows Settings. If you want your new local user to be able to log in as an administrator, you can make a quick change to their account type. Click the Start button and select the gear icon to do so.

   • You can also press Windows key + i at the same time to open Settings.
   • If you just created the new local user and haven't closed your account settings yet, jump down to step 4.
2. 
   2
   Click Accounts. You'll see this in the left panel in Windows 11. On Windows 10, just click the Accounts icon.
3. 
   3
   Click Family & other users (Windows 10) or Other users (Windows 11).
4. 
   4
   Click the local user you want to make an administrator. You'll see a list of all users under "Other users." Any local accounts will be marked "Local account."

   • Accounts that are already administrators will display "Administrator" below their names.
5. 
   5
   Click Change account type next to the user's name.
6. 
   6
   Select Administrator from the menu and click OK. This gives the selected local user account administrative rights for this computer.
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Tips

• You can leave the password field blank when creating a new local user account, but we recommend setting a secure password.
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