How to Switch User in Windows 10If you have more than one user account on your PC, Fast User Switching is an easy way for you to switch between accounts or for another user to sign in to Windows without signing you out or closing your apps and files.
See also: How to switch users [accounts] in Windows 10 | Windows Support
This tutorial will show you different ways on how to switch between users without signing out on your local Windows 10 PC.
If you are logged on to a remote computer [for instance, using Remote Desktop Connection], you can't use Fast User Switching on that computer.
Make sure to save any open files before switching users because Windows doesn't automatically save files that are open. If you switch to a different user account and that user shuts down the computer, any unsaved changes you made to files that are open on your account will be lost.
1 Open the Start menu , click/tap on the user icon for the current account [ex: Shawn Brink], and click/tap on the user account [ex: Brink2] you want to switch to. [see screenshot below]
2 You will now be taken directly to the sign-in screen of the selected account [ex: Brink2]. [see screenshot below]
This option is not available in the Windows 10 Home edition.
1 Run the "C:\Windows\System32\tsdiscon.exe" file from Search [Win+S], Run [Win+R], command prompt, File Explorer [Win+E], or how you like.2 You will now be taken to the lock screen to unlock. [see screenshots below]
3 You will now be on the sign-in screen to select and sign in to the account you want to switch to. [see screenshot below]
1 Click/tap on your desktop [Win+D] to make it the current focused [active] window, and press the Alt + F4 keys.2 Select Switch user in the drop down menu, and click/tap on OK or press Enter. [see screenshots below]
3 You will now be taken to the lock screen to unlock. [see screenshots below]
4 You will now be on the sign-in screen to select and sign in to the account you want to switch to. [see screenshot below]
1 Press the Ctrl + Alt + Del keys, and click/tap on Switch user. [see screenshot below]
2 You will now be taken directly to the sign-in screen to select and sign in to the account you want to switch to. [see screenshot below]
1 While on the sign-in screen, select and sign in to the account you want to switch to. [see screenshot below]
1 Open Task Manager in more details view.2 Click/tap on the Users tab, right click or press and hold on an already signed in user [ex: Brink2] that you want to switch to, and click/tap on Switch user account. [see screenshot below]
OR
Click/tap on the Users tab, select on an already signed in user [ex: Brink2] that you want to switch to, and click/tap on the Switch user button.
3 You will now be taken directly to the sign-in screen of the selected account [ex: Brink2]. [see screenshot below]
That's it, Shawn
Tutorial Categories
- Article
- 01/07/2021
- 4 minutes to read
Windows XP user accounts enable multiple users to be logged on simultaneously, each with his or her own settings and each running his or her own applications. Because one user does not have to log off to allow access to another user, each user's desktop is easily accessed using the fast user switching feature. User accounts also include the Personal Terminal Server feature, or Remote Desktop, which enables users to access their desktop account from remote systems.
The following topics are discussed.
Infrastructure Usage Requirements
Underlying infrastructure inherited from Windows 2000 supports state separation of user data, user settings, and computer settings. Taking advantage of this infrastructure, the following are required to successfully run your application under Windows XP.
- Default to the My Documents folder for storage of user-created data.
- Classify and store application data correctly.
- Degrade gracefully on "Access Denied" messages.
Temporary files, memory-mapped files, and documents should all be stored in the appropriate subdirectory of the user's profile directory. Use SHGetFolderLocation or SHGetFolderPath to determine the appropriate storage location for these files. Passing the CSIDL_APPDATA flag to these functions returns the path of a file system directory that serves as a common repository for application-specific data. Use the flag CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA in place of CSIDL_APPDATA for data that should change when the user changes, such as temporary files.
The requirements listed above are a subset of those in the Microsoft Certification program. For more information, see the Certified for Windows Program page at //www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/partners/isvs/cfw.mspx.
Compatibility with Existing Applications
Both fast user switching and Personal Terminal Server use Terminal Services technology and therefore are compatible with most earlier Microsoft Win32 applications. If an application is Windows 2000 Logo compliant, implementing basic profile separation and power management features, that application should run properly under individual Windows XP user accounts.
Registering for Session Switching Notification
Typically, an application does not need to be notified when a desktop switch occurs. However, applications that must be notified when the account under which they are running is the current desktop, such as applications that access the serial port or other shared resources, can register for desktop switch notification. To register for a notification, use the WTSRegisterSessionNotification function.
Once that function has been called, the window with handle hWnd is registered to receive a WM_WTSSESSION_CHANGE message through its WndProc function. The session ID is sent in the lParam parameter, and a code that indicates the event that generated the message is sent in wParam as one of the following flags.
- WTS_CONSOLE_CONNECT
- WTS_CONSOLE_DISCONNECT
- WTS_REMOTE_CONNECT
- WTS_REMOTE_DISCONNECT
- WTS_SESSION_LOGOFF
- WTS_SESSION_LOGON
Applications can use this message to track their state, as well as to release and acquire console-specific resources. User desktops can be dynamically switched between remote and console control. Applications should use the WM_WTSSESSION_CHANGE message to synchronize with the remote or local connection state.
When your process no longer requires these notifications or is terminating, it should call WTSUnRegisterSessionNotification to unregister its notification.
Ensuring Only One Instance of Your Application Is Running
Many applications must ensure that they have only one instance running. There are several ways to do this in Windows XP. Among them are the following:
- Use FindWindow or FindWindowEx to search for a known window that your application opens. If that window is already open, you can use that as an indication that the application is already running.
- Create a mutex or semaphore object when your application is opened, and close that object when the application terminates. The global object namespace is separated for each desktop, allowing a unique list of mutex and semaphore objects for each.
Shutting Down Your Application Across All Sessions
An application might need to shut itself down across all sessions. For example, an application running in two or more sessions simultaneously might download a new file from the web. Then it might need to close itself and restart with the updated bits. This, of course, would need to be done in all running sessions. Your application should be written so that it exits cleanly when a notification is received.
Interaction with System Services
From a programmatic standpoint, the following cases need to be addressed.
The server process receives a direct request from a client process.
In this case, the message is probably transmitted using a local procedure call [LPC] or a remote procedure call [RPC]. There are APIs for either LPC or RPC that enable retrieval of the client token. Once the client token is obtained, the server can use it in a call to CreateProcessAsUser. This brings up the process on the correct window station, assuming that the client user token has a session tag, which it should.
The server process receives a notification and needs to display the UI, but the display does not have to be in the current user's context.
In this case, the server process can duplicate its primary process token and change the session identifier in question to match the current session identifier. The current session identifier can be obtained by using the WTSGetActiveConsoleSessionId function.
Note
To set the token session ID, you need the SE_TCB_PRIVILEGE. You will have this only as a service running in NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM.
Remote Desktop and Bandwidth
With the addition of the Remote Desktop feature to Windows XP, applications should make an effort not to use more bandwidth than needed, avoiding extensive screen drawings and animation effects if the desktop is connected remotely. To determine whether the current session is remote, you can call GetSystemMetrics with SM_REMOTESESSION. Be aware, however, that this call does not distinguish between remote and disconnected.