Windows Home with a local user
It’s not just because of #UnplugTrump that it’s advisable to run Windows with a local user account. But Microsoft makes it unnecessarily difficult for users, especially with the Home editions. With every upgrade, Microsoft tries to hide the option to create a local account even more during new installations, and the Home edition doesn’t even include user management tools that would allow you to change this later. Of course, it’s still possible, and you don’t need to install any additional software to do so.
It’s annoying enough when a glitch in the manufacturer’s services temporarily prevents you from logging into your own device. But what if Microsoft decides to lock your account?! It was so convenient to have your photos automatically backed up to the cloud and be able to access them from any device... Even a single photo of a naked family member as a child that found its way onto Microsoft’s servers via OneDrive can trigger such a lockout—and then you’re not only permanently locked out of all devices with that account, but licenses linked to the account would also become invalid if you simply delete the account to create a new one.
It is essential to create a local user account with administrative privileges!
Regardless of whether Windows Home has been running for months or was just freshly installed, I’ll describe below how to set up an additional local user account. Whether the Microsoft account should remain or be deleted (if licenses are already linked, it must remain, at least until the link is removed) is irrelevant.
Understanding the Situation
You can skip this section if you’ve just installed Windows Home. However, it may be helpful to take a look around when troubleshooting or if you already have multiple user accounts set up. First, press and hold the Windows key, then press the R key (⊞+R) to open the Run dialog box. Type powershell and press Enter ↵. Enter the following commands in the Windows PowerShell window that just opened and confirm each one with Enter ↵:
NET ACCOUNTS provides basic settings for user management.
NET ACCOUNTS
Abmelden erzwingen nach: Nie
Minimales Kennwortalter (Tage): 0
Maximales Kennwortalter (Tage): 42
Minimale Kennwortlänge: 0
Länge der Kennwortchronik: Keine
Sperrschwelle: Nie
Sperrdauer (Minuten): 30
Sperrüberprüfungsfenster (Minuten): 30
Rolle des Computers: WORKSTATION
Der Befehl wurde erfolgreich ausgeführt.NET USER returns a list of all user accounts on the system.
NET LOCALGROUP returns a list of all user groups on the system.
Create a User and Make Them an Administrator
Unlike in the previous section, the following steps require administrative permissions, so PowerShell is launched differently here. First, press ⊞+X and then A. You will then be prompted by User Account Control to allow the app to make changes to the device; you must answer Yes. PowerShell will now open with the appropriate permissions, and you should enter the following commands there, confirming each one with Enter ↵.
NET USER Benutzername Kennwort /ADD /FULLNAME:"Name"Instead of username, enter the desired login name, and replace password with the desired password. Name can be replaced with “First Name Last Name,” but you can also leave it out and omit /FULLNAME:“Name”.
NET LOCALGROUP Gruppenname Benutzername /ADDGroup Name will be replaced with Administrators, and Username will be replaced with the login name you set up in the last step.
From this point on, you can log in to the device using the username and password combination you just created.
How to Access Help for a Command
For all of the commands listed above, the NET command also provides help in the following format:
NET HELP Befehl
# ergibt also
NET HELP ACCOUNTS
NET HELP USER
NET HELP LOCALGROUPThe command therefore lists which commands are supported using:
NET HELPHave fun trying it out.
In the Fediverse, you can join the discussion and ask questions.