Windows 8.1: The Missing Manual

Accounts Central

In keeping with Windows 8.1’s schizophrenic nature, there are two places to work with accounts: TileWorld and the Control Panel.

• TileWorld. Open the Charms bar. Select Settings; select “Change PC settings”; select Accounts. You see the panel shown at top in Figure 24-1.

• Desktop. Open the Control Panel (right-click the button and choose Control Panel from the shortcut menu). Click “User Accounts and Family Safety,” then “User Accounts,” then “Manage another account.” You arrive at the Control Panel pane shown at bottom in Figure 24-1.

  Or, another approach: At the Start screen, type accounts. Click Settings under the search bar; in the results, click “Make changes to accounts.”

In each case, you now have access to all the accounts you’ve created so far. Here, too, is where you can create new accounts, edit the ones you’ve already made, or delete them, as described in the following pages.

First, though, it’s important to understand the difference between the three account types you may see in the Control Panel: Administrator and Standard. Read on.

The Types of Accounts

On your own personal PC, the word “Administrator” probably appears under your name in the panel shown in Figure 24-1 at bottom. As it turns out, that’s one of three—well, two and a half—kinds of accounts you can create on Windows 8.1.

Administrator accounts

Because you’re the person who installed Windows 8.1, ...