Logging In and Out of User Accounts

When you start your computer, Windows 8 presents you with the Lock Screen. This is a screen that shows a background picture and has the capability to run background apps such as a calendar app or mail app before you log in. To advance beyond the Lock Screen, roll the mouse wheel down, gesture down, or press Enter. You are then shown the login screen. At this screen, the last user logged in at that computer will display. If you have multiple user accounts on your computer, you can select to log in using the previous user account (if that’s you), or select a different user.

To log in, enter the password that protects that account from unauthorized entry. If you want to log in using a different login name, click the left arrow to see a list of all the users who have logged into this computer. Click the user you want to log in as and then enter that user’s login credentials to start Windows 8.

For accounts that do not have an associated password, simply click the name for that user and Windows loads to the Windows 8.

Where am I now?

To see the name of the user account you’re currently logged into, look at the top-right corner of the Windows 8. In Figure 5.1, the user account name is Robert Tidrow, but it could be any username set up on your computer. If Windows 8 came pre-installed on your computer, it might be a generic name, such as Owner or User.

FIGURE 5.1 Username on the new Windows 8 Start screen

Switching accounts

You have a few different ways to switch from the account you’re currently logged into to another account (assuming that you have more than one user account on your computer already).

The quickest way is to display the Start screen and then click your account name at the top of the screen. Figure 5.2 shows an example of a list of users. You can use the following methods to change users:

FIGURE 5.2 Available users that can log into the current computer

• Click Sign Out: This option logs you out of Windows and sends you to the Windows startup screen. Press Enter, slide the screen up, or roll the mouse button down to display the sign on screen. Select a username by clicking the back arrow to display all users set up on this computer.
• Click a username: When you click your username at the Start screen, all user accounts for your computer appear. Click the name you want to switch to. Windows suspends the current user and displays the login screen for the selected name. Enter the password for that username to continue.

You also can change users by using the Power options. Click the Settings Charm button and then click the Power icon. Three menu options appear, as in Figure 5.3. The options are described in the following list:

FIGURE 5.3 Windows Power options

• Sleep: This option saves the system state to disk and powers down the computer, but the computer can be restored more quickly than shutting down and starting up.
• Shut Down: This option closes all open programs and shuts down the computer. Press the power button to restart the computer and show the login screen.
• Restart: This option closes all programs, shuts down the computer, and then restarts the computer to the login screen.

If your user account isn’t password-protected, other people aren’t really locked out of your account. Anyone can come along, click your user account name, and be at your desktop. Also, once someone is at your desktop, he can use the User Settings screen to set up a password of his own. Unless he gives you that password, you can be locked out of your own account. In most cases, particularly when your computer is shared with another user or has the potential to be available to others, take precautions and set up a password for your account.