How to Add New Accounts in Windows 10 [Child, Adult, Microsoft and Local Accounts]

by Gary Oldwood on 27 August 2015 · 8643 views

You probably have noticed how Microsoft wants to give special focus in the users’ privacy, security and organization in Windows 10. Now, apart from being able to sign in to a Windows 10 device by using either a local account or a Microsoft account, you can also add specific accounts that belong to your family’s members, who can be either children or adults. This part of Windows 10 is known as Microsoft family.

Adult accounts have no restrictions (unlike child accounts) and are able to manage and monitor the activities of child accounts.

A child account can be monitored and managed by the adult accounts so as to make the child’s web experience safer and more enjoyable. Features include activity reporting, web filtering, time limits, app restrictions, game restrictions, phone downloads and requests by child, all of which can be accessed at account.microsoft.com/family.

And of course, you can also add accounts for users who do not belong to your family.

In this article we’ll show you how to add new accounts to your device, which can either be family accounts (child/adult) or non-family local/Microsoft accounts.

For easier navigation, you can click to any of the links below in order to jump to the corresponding topic in the article:

Adding a Child Account to your Microsoft Family
Adding an Adult Account to your Microsoft Family
Adding a Local Account from Settings
Adding a Microsoft Account from Settings
Adding a Local Account from Local Users and Groups Manager
Adding a Local Account by using the Command Prompt

Adding a Child Account to your Microsoft Family

Step 1: Go to Settings

Open the Start menu and select Settings.

Adding a Child Account to your Family Screenshot 1

Step 2: Select “Accounts”

From the Settings window, select the Accounts option.

Adding a Child Account to your Family Screenshot 2

Step 3: Navigate to “Family & other users” and select “Add a Family Member”

In the Accounts screen, click (or tap) on Family & other users from the sidebar on the left, and then click (or tap) on Add a family member (under Your family).

Adding a Child Account to your Family Screenshot 3

Step 4: Add a Child

In the window that opens you will be asked whether you want to add a child or an adult, and enter their email address. Select Add a child, type the person’s email address in the textbox and click Next.

Adding a Child Account to your Family Screenshot 4

Note: If the person does not have an email address, click on the “The person I want to add doesn't have an email address” link in order to create a new email address and Microsoft account for him first.

Step 5: Confirm that You Want to Add the Account

In the next screen click (or tap) Confirm to confirm that you want to add that account to your device and family.

Adding a Child Account to your Family Screenshot 5

Step 6: Close Window

Your half of the process is now done. You will be notified that the child has been sent an invitation to join your family, which he must accept in the next 14 days (otherwise it will expire).

Adding a Child Account to your Family Screenshot 6

Step 7: Accept Invitation

Now the child must log into their email account, open the email sent from Microsoft Family and click on the Accept Invitation link included in it.

Adding a Child Account to your Family Screenshot 7

Step 8: Sign in to Microsoft Account

The child will be asked to sign in to their Microsoft account if they are not already signed in when accepting the invitation.

Adding a Child Account to your Family Screenshot 8

And that completes the process for adding a child account in your Microsoft family and Windows 10 device. The child will be able to see who else is in their family, and the adults will be able to manage the child’s account in Microsoft family. Additionally, the account will be listed in Family & other users of the Accounts screen (as in Step 3).

Adding an Adult Account to your Microsoft Family

Step 1: Open Settings

Open the Start menu and select Settings.

Adding an Adult Account to your Family Screenshot 1

Step 2: Select “Accounts”

From the Settings window, select the Accounts option.

Adding an Adult Account to your Family Screenshot 2

Step 3: Navigate to “Family & other users” and select “Add a Family Member”

In the Accounts screen, click (or tap) on Family & other users from the sidebar on the left, and then click (or tap) on Add a family member (under Your family).

Adding an Adult Account to your Family Screenshot 3

Step 4: Add an Adult

Now you will be asked whether you want to add a child or an adult, and enter their email address. Select Add an adult, type the person’s email address in the textbox and click Next.

Adding an Adult Account to your Family Screenshot 4

Note: If the person does not have an email address, click on the “The person I want to add doesn't have an email address” link in order to create a new email address and Microsoft account for them first.

Step 5: Confirm that You Want to Add the Account

In the next screen click Confirm to confirm that you want to add that account to your device and Microsoft family.

Adding an Adult Account to your Family Screenshot 5

Step 6: Close Window

You will be notified that the adult has been sent an invitation to join your family, which they must accept in the next 14 days (otherwise it will expire).

Adding an Adult Account to your Family Screenshot 6

Step 7: Accept Invitation

The adult should check his email from Microsoft family and accept the invitation that is included in it.

Adding an Adult Account to your Family Screenshot 7

Step 8: Sign in to Microsoft Account

If the adult is not already signed into his Microsoft account when accepting the invitation, he will be asked to sign in first.

Adding an Adult Account to your Family Screenshot 8

The adult is now added to your family (you will be able to see him in Microsoft family), and will be listed in Family & other users of the Accounts screen (as in Step 3).

Adding a Local Account from Settings

Step 1: Open Settings

Open the Start menu and select Settings.

Adding a Local Account from Settings Screenshot 1

Step 2: Select “Accounts”

From the Settings window, select the Accounts option.

Adding a Local Account from Settings Screenshot 2

Step 3: Navigate to “Family & other users” and select “Add a Family Member”

In the Accounts screen, click on Family & other users from the sidebar on the left, and then click on Add someone else to this PC (under Other users).

Adding a Local Account from Settings Screenshot 3

Step 4: Add a Person Without an Entering an Email Address

In the window that opens click on the “The person I want to add doesn’t have an email address” link (located at the bottom).

Adding a Local Account from Settings Screenshot 4

Step 5: Add a User Without a Microsoft Account

Another window will open which will ask you to enter the details of the person in order to create a Microsoft account for them. But what you have to do here is click on Add a user without a Microsoft account.

Adding a Local Account from Settings Screenshot 5

Step 6: Create Account for this PC

In the next screen just enter a username and a password for the account you want to create, and click Next.

Adding a Local Account from Settings Screenshot 6

Note: Entering a password here is optional.

This account will be a Standard account, and you can then change it to an Administrator or Guest account.

Adding a Microsoft Account from Settings

Step 1: Open Settings

Open the Start menu and select Settings.

Step 2: Select “Accounts”

From the Settings window, select the Accounts option.

Step 3: Navigate to “Family & other users” and select “Add a Family Member”

In the Accounts screen, click on Family & other users from the sidebar on the left, and then click on Add someone else to this PC (under Other users).

Step 4: Enter Email Address

In the window that opens enter the email address of the person you want to add and then click Next. Now the user will be able to log into your device using their account.

If the person you want to add doesn’t have an email address, click on the The person I want to add doesn't have an email address link at the bottom of the screen and enter his details in order to create a Microsoft account for him. You can either create a new email address for that purpose or use an existing one. Then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

This account will be a Standard account, and you can then change it to an Administrator or Guest account.

Adding a Local Account from Local Users and Groups Manager

Note: Local Users and Groups Manager is not available in Windows 10 Home edition and is only available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise editions. Therefore if you have Windows 10 Home, you cannot use this method.

Step 1: Open Local Users and Groups

Press Win + R (“Win” is the Windows key in your keyboard) to open the Run dialog box, type “lusrmgr.msc” (without quotes) and press enter. This will bring up Local Users and Groups Manager.

Adding a Local Account from Local Users and Groups Manager Screenshot 1

Step 2: Create New User

Select the Users folder from the pane on the left, and then click on More Actions > New User from the pane on the right.

Adding a Local Account from Local Users and Groups Manager Screenshot 2

Step 3: Enter the User’s Details

A new window will open, in which you have to enter the details of the user account you want to add. The only obligatory field you have to fill in is the User name field; all the other fields (full name, description, password) are optional. There are also a few options you can configure as well. When you are done, click Create and then click Close- the new local user account has been created.

Adding a Local Account from Local Users and Groups Manager Screenshot 3

This account will be a Standard account, and you can then change it to an Administrator or Guest account.

Adding a Local Account by using Command Prompt

Step 1: Open an Elevated Command Prompt

Press Win+X and choose Command Prompt (Admin) to open an Elevated Command Prompt.

Step 2: Enter Command to Create New Local Account With and Without Password

To create a new local account without password:

Type/paste the following command in the Command Prompt and press Enter to create a new local account, but replace Username with the username you want to give to that account:

net user "Username" /add

For example, to create a new local account with the username Download3K, the command would become:

net user "Download3K" /add

To create a new local account with password:

If you want to create a new local account with a password, enter the following command instead, and replace Username and Password with the username and password you want to give to that account: