How to disable a user account in Windows 11 system

Yes, instead of deleting the account, you can temporarily deactivate it (disable the user account), and we’ll teach you how to do that in this Windows 11 article.

You can quickly create several accounts in Windows 11 if you want to share a machine with different individuals.
When you no longer need an account or need to restrict access to a user, you can deactivate it instead of deleting it to keep its settings and data in case you need to regain access later.

Regardless of the cause, Computer Management, Settings, Command Prompt, and PowerShell are all options for disabling the account in Windows 11.
The system will revoke access to the account and remove it from the user menu in the Start menu, as well as the – sign on the screen after it is disabled.

We’ll show you how to deactivate an account without destroying or deleting its data in this Windows 11 article.

How to use Computer Management to deactivate an account

Follow these procedures to deactivate accounts on Windows 11 without deleting them.

1. Open Start.
2. To access the application, search for Computer Management and select the first result.
3. Follow the steps below to get there:
   Computer Management > System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Users
4. Select Properties from the right-click user menu.
5. Switch to the General tab.
6. Check the Account is deactivated check box.
7. Then press the Apply button.
8. Then press the Ok button.

The user will no longer be able to log in after completing the procedures, but the account will remain in the system until it is deleted.

Activate the account or account using Computer Management

Follow these procedures to enable an account with Computer Management.

1. Open Start.
2. To access the application, search for Computer Management and select the first result.
3. Follow the steps below to get there:
   Computer Management > System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Users
4. Select Properties from the right-click user menu.
5. Switch to the General tab.
6. Disable or uncheck the Account is deactivated.
7. Then press the Apply button.
8. Then press the Ok button.

The user will be able to sign in and access their Windows 11 account when they complete the instructions.

How to deactivate an account using the Settings menu

Only family members’ accounts can be disabled in the Settings app.
Microsoft and local accounts cannot be disabled.

Follow these procedures to disable a family member’s account in Settings.

1. Open the Settings menu.
2. Go to Accounts and select it.
3. On the right, go to the Family and other users page.
4. Select an account from the Your Family area and click the Block Login button.
5. Turn on the Block switch.

The family member will no longer be able to log in and the account will no longer appear on the login page after you complete the procedures.

How to activate the account using the Settings menu

Follow these procedures to enable a family account in Settings.

1. Open the Settings menu.
2. Go to Accounts and select it.
3. On the right, go to the Family and other users page.
4. Select the account under Your Family and click the Allow Login button.
5. Allow login by clicking the Allow login button.

After these procedures, the account will reappear on the login screen, allowing users to log in normally.

How to use the command line to deactivate an account

Use the following instructions to deactivate a local or Microsoft account on Windows 11.

1. Go to Start.
2. Right-click on the command prompt search result above and select Run as administrator.
3. To see the available accounts, type the following command and click Enter:
   net user
4. To disable a Windows 11 account, use the following command and press Enter:
   net user account-name /active: no
   To disable an account, replace “account-name” with the account name in the command.

The account will be deactivated and will no longer be displayed on the login screen after you complete the instructions.
The account and data will, however, continue on Windows 11.

Enable the account using the command line

Follow these steps to activate your account with the command line.

1. Go to Start.
2. Right-click on the command prompt search result above and select Run as administrator.
3. To disable a Windows 11 account, use the following command and press Enter:
   net user account-name /active: yes
   To enable, replace “account-name” with the account name in the command.

The Windows 11 account will be enabled when you complete the instructions, and the user will be able to access their desktop and files again.

How to use PowerShell to deactivate an account

Follow these methods to deactivate your Windows 11 account using PowerShell commands.

1. Go to Start.
2. Right-click the above search result for PowerShell and select Run as administrator.
3. To see the available accounts, type the following command and click Enter:
   Get-LocalUser
4. To disable a Windows 11 account, use the following command and press Enter:
   Disable-LocalUser -Name “account-name”
   To disable an account, replace “account-name” with the account name in the command.

The PowerShell command will disable the account when you complete the procedures, but the account and its data will remain on the system.

Enable the account using PowerShell

Follow these procedures to enable an account using PowerShell on Windows 11.

1. Go to Start.
2. Right-click the above search result for PowerShell and select Run as administrator.
3. To disable a Windows 11 account, use the following command and press Enter:
   Enable-LocalUser -Name “account-name”
   To enable, replace “account-name” with the account name in the command.

The account will be enabled on the system once you complete the procedures.

Read more about the Windows 11 system.