Windows 8 Five Minutes at a Time

Adding a Local Account to Windows

You can add a new account to Windows 8, either a local account or a Microsoft account. By using multiple accounts, you can then share your PC with family members or other people, each with their own unique environments. A local account does not require you set up access through Microsoft. If you do not plan to use online services such as SkyDrive or synchronize content across multiple Windows 8 computers, then a local account should suffice. You can also modify a local account as a Standard one with limited capabilities or an Administrator one with full privileges. This task explains how to add a local account to Windows 8.

1 Log in: Log in to Windows with an Administrator account.

2 Access the Users page: Hover your mouse in the lower-right hot corner to display the Charms bar. Click the Settings charm and then the Change PC settings option. In the left pane of the PC settings screen, click Users.

3 Add a user: In the Other users section, click the Add a user button.

4 Use a local account: To add a local account, click Sign in without a Microsoft ...