Oraldo Morales Ceballos recently moved to Windows 8, and can’t figure out how to log off as one user and log on as another.
If you share your PC with another person, you know that logging off one account and logging onto another is faster than rebooting. You also know that switching between accounts is even faster.
But in Windows 8, the option isn’t where experienced Windows users would expect it to be. It’s yet another case of Microsoft making things easier for novice users at the expense of everyone else. The company renamed and moved these options in a way that actually makes sense. But for experienced Windows hands, there’s a slight learning curve.
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Log off is now called Sign Off. There’s no longer an option called Switch user, but there doesn’t have to be; the users’ names are right there to switch to. And rather than putting these options in the Power section, they’re at the user icon.
You’ll find your name, and maybe your picture, in the top-right corner of the Start screen. Click or tap it. If there are other user accounts on this computer, you can select one and switch. As with earlier versions, your existing account will remain open, so you can switch back and pick up where you left off.
Of course you’ll have to enter your password.
To completely log off of one account and log onto another, click or tap your name or picture and select Sign out. You’ll be prompted to log on (or perhaps I should say “sign in”) as another user.
Note: I altered this article shortly after it went on line. I changed the title to better reflect the article’s content.