Windows lets you have multiple local users accounts on the same device. This lets every user have their own file storage, personalized desktop, and custom settings.
However, sometimes you need to disable a user’s account without deleting it because deleting the account would remove all their files, apps, and personalized settings. Disabling an account removes the account’s icon from the sign-in screen and from the menu to switch users. This lets you re-enable the account later on without losing any of their data. Here’s how you can enable or disable a user account in Windows 10.
Note: This article is intended mostly for people using Windows 10 in their homes or small businesses. If you’re using Windows 10 in a larger business, you likely won’t have multiple local user accounts set up on a system and these tools will probably be disabled anyway.
Windows 10 Home and Pro Users: Disable User Accounts with the Command Prompt
No matter which edition of Windows 10 you’re using (Home, Pro, or even Enterprise), you can use a quick command at the Command Prompt to enable or disable a local user account. While there is a graphical way to do this for Windows 10 Pro users (which we’ll cover in the next section), the Command Prompt is available to all and very quick.
First, open Command Prompt as an administrator. Hit Start, type “cmd” into the search box, and you’ll see “Command Prompt” listed as the main result. Right-click that result and choose “Run as administrator.”
At the prompt, type (or copy and paste) the following command, where <username> is the name of the user account you want to disable:
net user <username> /active:no
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