How to Fix “Switch User” Option Missing in Windows 10/11?

The Switch User option allows Windows users to quickly switch to a different user account from the login screen and Start menu, but recently several users reported that Windows is missing this issue.

There could be several reasons why you may not be able to see the switch user option, e.g. B. a temporary malfunction in the system or misconfigured settings. Below we look at the solutions that you can try if you encounter the similar problem on your computer.

1. Enable the built-in administrator account

In several cases, the problem was caused by a bug in the user account that the users were logged into. To fix this problem, we recommend enabling the built-in administrator account in Windows and creating a new user account.

However, if you want to try your luck to fix the problem within the current user account, you can run the SFC and DISM utilities from the recovery menu. These tools run from the command prompt and scan the system for potential problems. If problems are found, they will resolve them with no input required from you.

If this does not solve the problem, you can proceed with enabling the built-in administrator account. Here’s all you need to do:

1. At the login screen, hold down the Shift key and restart your computer.
2. Your Windows will now boot into the recovery menu. Choose Troubleshooting from the list of available options.
   

   

3. Navigate to Expanded options > command prompt.
   

   

4. After the Command Prompt starts up, type the following command and click Enter to run it:

   net user administrator /active:yes

   

5. Once the command has been executed, restart your computer and log in using the built-in administrator account.
6. Open Windows Settings by pressing Win + I key.
7. Choose accounts from the left pane.
8. Click on family and other users.
   

   

9. Now go to Other users section and click on the Add account associated with the button Add another user.
   

   

10. In the following dialog click on “I don’t have this person’s credentials.”
11. Then click on the Add a user without a Microsoft account Hyperlink and fill in all required details.
    

    

12. Follow the on-screen instructions to continue.
13. Once a new user account is created, log in and check if the issue is resolved.

2. Enable fast user switching

It is also possible that the problem occurs because these particular settings are misconfigured on your system. To counteract this problem, you can enable the option for fast user switching via the Windows registry at the administrator level.

Before proceeding with this method, we recommend you to create a backup of the registry. This will help you to revert to the current registry status if something goes wrong while performing this method. Also, make sure you are logged on to your computer as an administrator to access the registry.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Press Win + R together to open Run.
2. Type regedit in the Run text box and click on it Enter.
3. Choose Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
4. Once in the registry editor, navigate to the location mentioned below:

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System

5. If you can’t find them system keyright click on the policy key and choose New > button.
   

   

6. Rename this key to system.
7. Now choose the system key and go to the right pane.
8. Right-click anywhere in the right pane and select New > DWORD value (32 bits)..
   

   

9. Rename this key to HideFastUserSwitching.
10. Double click HideFastUserSwitching and type 0 under value data.
    

    

11. click OK to save the changes.
12. Finally, exit Registry Editor and restart your computer.

Hopefully, when you restart, you’ll be able to switch user accounts like you did before without any issues.

3. Activate the target account (if applicable)

There is also a chance that the account you are trying to switch to is disabled, which may prevent you from switching user accounts. If this scenario applies, you can use the local users and groups administration console to enable the target account.

Here’s how to enable the target account using Group Policy Editor:

1. Press the Win + R Keys together to open Run.
2. Type lusrmgr.msc in Run and click Enter.
3. click Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
4. Once in the local users and groups management console, select user from the left pane.
5. Now locate the user account you want to switch to and right click on it.
   

   

6. Choose Characteristics from the left pane.
7. In the properties dialog, switch to the General tab.
8. Find them Account is disabled option and clear its check box.
   

   

9. click Apply > OK to save the changes.

You should now be able to switch accounts successfully.