No longer need a user account? Learn how to disable the user account in Windows 11 & 10 using two simple methods.
On Windows 10 and 11, creating a new user account is a pretty simple process. However, when you no longer need a user account, rather than deleting it, you can simply disable the user account. This is especially helpful if you don’t need a specific user account temporarily. The good thing about disabling a user account instead of deleting it is that this process doesn’t delete any of that user’s data, like installed apps, user-specific files, browsing history, etc.
You have two methods to disable a user account in Windows. You can either use the built-in lusrmgr (Local Users and Groups) tool or command-line. In this guide, I will show you these two methods. Let’s get started.
Before You Start
- The methods below are tested and verified on Windows 11 and Windows 10.
- Administrative rights are required to disable a user account on Windows.
Quick Navigation:
- lusrmgr.msc method (easy, available only in Pro and Enterprise editions)
- Command Prompt method (just as easy, works on all editions)
Method 1: Disable User Account Using lusrmgr.msc Tool (Easy)
Note: You should be using the Pro or Enterprise edition. If you are using Home edition, follow the command-line method below.
On both Windows 11 and 10, Microsoft included an advanced tool called lusrmgr.msc that lets you manage user accounts with just a couple of clicks. Using it, you can disable any user account. Here’s how to do it.
- Press “Windows key + R” to open the Run dialog.
- Type “lusrmgr.msc” and click “OK“.
- Select the “Users” folder on the left side panel.
- Double-click the user account you want to disable on the center panel.
- Go to the “General” tab.
- Select the “Account is disabled” checkbox.
- Click “OK“.
- With that, you’ve disabled the user account.
- In the main window, you will see a small down arrow icon overlay next to the user account name.
- Close the lusrmgr.msc window.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, open the Run dialog box by pressing the “Win + R” keyboard shortcut. In the Run dialog box, type lusrmgr.msc and click “OK“. As soon as you press the button, the Local Users & Groups tool will open.
In this window, select the “Users” folder on the left sidebar. This action lists all available user accounts in the center panel. Here, find the user account you want to disable and double-click it.
The above action opens the Advanced User Properties window. Here, make sure you are in the “General” tab, select the “Account is disabled” checkbox, and click “OK” to save the change.
As soon as you save the changes, the user account is instantly disabled. To indicate the same, Windows adds a small down arrow icon overlay over the user account name/icon. See the image below for reference.
Once the user account is disabled, it will not appear on the login screen, and the user cannot log into that specific account. Though the user account is disabled, the user’s data, such as their settings and files, is still intact and not deleted.
If you want to re-enable the user account in the future, follow the same steps, but uncheck the “Account is disabled” checkbox in the Advanced User Properties window.
Method 2: Disable User Account Using Command Prompt
If you are using Home edition or are comfortable using the command line, you can use Command Prompt to quickly disable any user account. Here’s how.
- Open the Start menu.
- Search for “Command Prompt“.
- Select the “Run as administrator” option in the Start menu.
- Run the
net usercommand to list user accounts. - Note down the user account name you want to disable.
- Run the
net user username /active:nocommand while replacing “username” with the name of the user account you want to disable. - With that, the user account is disabled.
- You can close the Command Prompt window.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, open the elevated Command Prompt window. To do that, open the Start menu, search for “Command Prompt“, and select the “Run as administrator” option.
Once it opens, run the following command. It lists all the user accounts on your computer. Note down the name of the user account you want to disable. In my case, I want to disable the user account “Bashkarla”.
net user
Once you know the username, run the following command while replacing “username” with the actual username of the user account you want to disable. In my case, that would be “Bashkarla”.
net user username /active:no
As soon as you execute the command, the user account will be disabled instantly. Just like with the first method, the user account will not be visible on the lock screen, and the target user cannot log into their user account.
Re-enable a disabled user account:
To re-enable a disabled user account and allow user logins, run the following command in an elevated Command Prompt window. Don’t forget to replace “username” with the name of the disabled user account.
net user username /active:yes
That is all. It is that simple to disable a user account in Windows 11 and Windows 10 using lusrmgr.msc and Command Prompt. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
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