User accounts make it possible for multiple people to share a computer, with each person having his or her own private Documents folder, email inbox, Windows settings, and so on. When you have your own account, you can do all the customization you want to your Windows 8.1 environment without affecting other user accounts. Other users will have their own visual customization, their own app settings, and so forth.

You can use multiple types of accounts in Windows. You can use your Microsoft account (formerly known as a Windows Live ID) across multiple computers with Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, whereas you can use a local account only on your local computer. These accounts can then have administrator permissions (the word “Administrator” is specified near their name). A user account that is not an Administrator account is considered a standard user account and has limited permissions. A third type of user account is the Guest account.

The administrator has full access to all user accounts. He can create and delete user accounts and change the name, password, and account types for other accounts. The administrator can also install software and hardware and configure every aspect of the operating system. As a rule, every computer must have at least one administrator.

A user with standard privileges has access to apps that have already been installed on the computer and cannot install other software without the administrator password. A standard user can change her password but cannot change the account name or type without the administrator password.

The Guest account is a special type of limited user account that has the following characteristics and restrictions:

When you install Windows 8.1 or when you use it for the first time (as is the case with devices that have Windows 8.1 installed already), you are prompted to create a default user account. That user account always has administrator permissions. You should create a new account when another person needs to work on the same computer.

For example, if you are a parent sharing the computer with your child, it is best to have two user accounts: one for you with administrator permissions and one for your child with standard user permissions. By doing this, you ensure that your child can use the computer but cannot change important configuration aspects.

If you have temporary guests who need to use one of your computers to browse the Internet, check their email, and perform other light computing activities, it is best to set up a Guest account for them to use.

A major change that was first implemented in Windows 8, is the introduction of the Microsoft account and its mandatory use for working with features such as synchronizing your settings across the many computers you use or accessing the Windows Store to purchase apps. In addition, each time you create a user account, Windows 8.1 first asks for a Microsoft account.

The Microsoft account is an ID composed of an email address and password, which you can use to log on to most Microsoft websites, services, and properties such as Hotmail, Outlook.com, Xbox Live, and all Microsoft services (including SkyDrive and Skype). You also use it in Windows 8.1 for synchronizing your computer settings, using the Windows Store to purchase apps, and other activities.

How do you know whether you have a Microsoft account? If you are already using any of these services—Hotmail, Outlook.com, SkyDrive, or Xbox Live—you already have a Microsoft account. Use the same email address and password in Windows 8.1.

If you don’t have a Microsoft account, you can easily create one in Windows 8.1 or on the Microsoft websites.

Using this account in Windows 8.1 is highly recommended, particularly if you want to access all the features it has to offer without problems or limitations. In addition, a Microsoft account gives you access to almost all Microsoft products, services, properties, and websites. The Microsoft account will also be useful in the following scenarios:

Windows 8.1 offers two places from which you can manage user accounts on your computer. In PC Settings, in the Accounts section, you can manage settings related to your user account (the account picture, your password, picture password, and PIN), the password policy used when waking your computer from sleep, add new user accounts and edit them.

In Control Panel, you can manage other existing user accounts, change your account type, or configure the settings for User Account Control (UAC).

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to access both methods for managing user accounts, starting with the one in Control Panel and ending with the one in PC Settings.

You can open the Accounts section in PC Settings directly, without going first to Control Panel and following the steps in the preceding procedure. This exercise was meant to familiarize you with each panel and its location before you learn how to manage the user accounts defined on your computer.

Anyone with administrator permissions can add a user account via PC Settings. When you add a user, Windows 8.1 first asks for a Microsoft account. If one is provided, the user is immediately given access to the computer and can log on by using the password associated with that Microsoft account. Keep in mind that when you add a user, you must have an active Internet connection. This also applies when the user logs on for the first time.

After the user account is created, a new folder with the new account name is created in the C:Users folder, where all the personal files of the new user are kept. No users except administrator(s) and the newly added user have access to this folder.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to create a new user account on your Windows 8.1 computer or device, using a Microsoft account.

The user account has been created and the first time that person logs in, she will go through a brief configuration wizard, plus the Windows 8.1 introductory tutorial. This is prior to being able to use your computer or device.

If you are not interested in using a Microsoft account, you can create a local account, which is created on your local computer, and with which a user can log on and use Windows 8.1. However, the user of this account will not be able to use any synchronization features provided by Microsoft for Windows 8.1 and won’t be able to make purchases in the Windows Store unless a Microsoft account is associated with it later. Another important difference is that a local account can have a blank (empty) password, whereas a Microsoft account does not allow blank passwords. Further, a local account does not need an active Internet connection to log on for the first time or for subsequent logons.

After the user account is created, a new folder with the new account name is created in the C:Users folder, where all the personal files of the new user are kept. No users except administrator(s) and the newly added user have access to this folder.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to create a new local user account on your computer.

The user account is created using the password you provided. When the new user signs in for the first time, he will be shown the Windows 8.1 introductory tutorial, prior to being able to use your computer or device.

Creating a Microsoft account

You can create a Microsoft account several ways. One way is to do it from Windows 8.1 during the procedure for adding a new user account.

If Windows has a connection to the Internet, it will ask for all the required details for creating the account, send them to Microsoft to confirm your details, and allow the newly created account to log on to your computer or device.

As an alternative, using any web browser, visit https://signup.live.com, and enter all the details requested.

When you switch between user accounts, you leave the current user account logged on (with all running apps) and log on to a separate user account. You can switch back and forth between user accounts whenever you want. The user account from which you switched remains active with all apps running, and you can switch back to it at any time by entering its password, PIN, or picture password. This can be useful if you need to work on multiple accounts at the same time.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to switch between two user accounts. This is possible only if you have two or more user accounts on your computer.

The owners of every user account except Guest can change the password for their account. Making the change doesn’t require any administrator permissions as long as you do not want to change the password of a user account other than your own.

If you are using a user account associated with a Microsoft account, the password change is applied to both your Windows-based computer and all Microsoft services that account uses. If you are using a local user account, the password change applies only to the user account defined on your local computer.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to change the password of a user associated with a Microsoft account.

One of the features first introduced by Windows 8 is the use of picture passwords. This concept entails using a specific picture on which you draw gestures. These gestures can be simple taps or clicks, circles, or lines. If your user account is using a Microsoft account with a complicated password, creating a picture password to be used as a complement can be a good way to make it easy to log on to your Windows 8.1–based devices.

Even though this feature is particularly recommended for use on touch-enabled devices such as tablets, you can also employ it on a desktop computer by using a mouse.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to create a picture password for your user account. To make things fast and easy, the exercise will use only taps or clicks.

The picture password is now set, and you can use it instead of your normal user account password each time you log on to your computer.

To further simplify the way you log on to your computer, especially if you are using a Microsoft account with a long password, Windows 8.1 allows the creation of a four-digit PIN associated with your user account. After you create a PIN, you can use it to log on quickly to your user account.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to create a PIN for your user account.

You can now use the PIN you just set instead of your password to log on to your user account.

Changing the picture password or the PIN

You can change both your picture password and PIN if you decide to use these features. The change process is always started in the Accounts pane, in the Sign-In Options section.

Windows 8.1 first asks you to type the current password associated with the user account and then allows you to change the picture password and the PIN. From here on, the procedures for changing them are the same as for creating them.

As with any earlier version of Windows, you can change the picture for your user account at any time. The procedure involved is not complicated.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to change a user account picture.

Your user account picture has been changed.

In Windows 8.1, changing the name of a user account is possible only for local accounts. You cannot change Microsoft account names from Windows. It is best to make this change from another user account with administrator permissions.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to change the name of a local user account.

The name of the selected user account is now changed.

All users except Guest can change their user account type. However, making the change requires administrator permissions. If you are trying to change the type for a user account with standard permissions, you need to know the password of the Administrator account or have someone log on by using the Administrator account and change the account type.

You must have at least one user account with administrator permissions on your Windows 8.1–based computer. If you have only one such user account, you can’t change its type to standard user. However, you can change any number of standard user accounts to Administrator.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to change the type of a user account from standard to Administrator.

The type of the selected user account is now changed.

Deleting user accounts is a task that only administrators can do. When an account is deleted, all the settings and files belonging to that user account are also deleted. This activity is best done by logging on to another user account and making the deletion from there. Ensure that the user account you are about to delete is not logged on when executing the deletion.

Before you delete a user account, back up all the important files created in its user files and folders so that they can be used later.

In this exercise, you’ll learn how to delete a user account.

The selected user account is now deleted.