Before you know how to use Fast User Switching on Windows 10, learn the ways to enable and disable this cool feature on your computer.
With a feature like Fast User Switching, Windows 10 users can easily switch between user accounts. But, at times, this feature takes up your CPU usage.
Hence, you may prefer disabling it till the time you need to access more than one user account on your Windows 10 computer. So, here’s a rundown on what the Fast User Switching feature does and how you can enable/disable it on Windows 10.
What is Fast User Switching?
In Windows operating systems, the Fast User Switching feature allows users to sign into their computers when others are already logged in.
In simple words, you can switch to your user account quickly even when other users are signed in on your computer. The Fast User Switching is the best way to manage and access multiple user accounts on your Windows computer.
You may want to enable Fast User Switching if your computer has more than one user accounts, which are frequently used by people. A scenario as such is common in corporate environments and administrative offices.
On the other hand, you may need to disable the feature as you find it of no use for a Windows computer having a single user account. Either way, let’s see how you can disable or enable Fast User Switching feature on your Windows 10 computer.
How to Disable/Enable Fast User Switching on Windows 10?
There are only two ways to enable or disable Fast User Switching on Windows 10. You can either edit the Windows Registry or the Local Group Policy to modify this feature.
Let’s take a look at how it’s done.
#1 Fix with Registry Editor
If you use a hierarchical database such as the Windows Registry, you can disable and enable the Fast User Switching feature more effectively.
The Registry Editor allows you to change and store low-level settings for your Windows 10 operating system. In every Windows computer, the Registry Editor is a key tool to make such changes.
You can not only add or set new information, but also modify the default configurations such as the Fast User Switching feature on Windows 10.
To disable Fast User Switching on Windows 10,
-
- Press the ‘ R ’ key while holding the ‘ Windows ’ key to open Run dialog box
- Type ‘ regedit ’ in the box
- Press the Enter key or click on OK
- You see the Registry Editor window open up
- In the window, you need to navigate to a specific registry
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and then to SOFTWARE
- Now, expand Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion
- Go to Policies and then System
- Here, you search for a value called ‘ HideFastUserSwitching ’
- If you don’t find it, right-click on the ‘ System ’ folder
- Select a New DWORD 32-bit Value and name it ‘ HideFastUserSwitching ’
- Press the Enter key to create this value
- Now, double-click on this HideFastUserSwitching value
- Adjust the Value Data to 1
Now, you’ve disabled the Fast User Switching feature on Windows 10, using the Registry Editor. You can follow the same steps on Registry Editor to enable Fast User Switching on your Windows PC.
Here’s how you do it:
- Press the ‘ R ’ key while holding the ‘ Windows ’ key to open the Run dialog box
- Type ‘ regedit ’ in the box
- Press the Enter key or click on OK
- You see the Registry Editor window open up
- In the window, you need to navigate to a specific registry
- Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and then to SOFTWARE
- Now, expand Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion
- Go to Policies and then System
- Here, you search for a value called ‘ HideFastUserSwitching ’
- If you don’t find it, right-click on the ‘ System ’ folder
- Select a New DWORD 32-bit Value and name it ‘ HideFastUserSwitching ’
- Press the Enter key to create this value
- Now, double-click on this HideFastUserSwitching value
- Instead of adjusting the Value Data to 1 , make it 0
This disables the Fast User Switching feature on your computer. You can restart and try switching users on your Windows 10 computer to see how these changes are put into effect.
#2 Use the Local Group Policy Editor
To enable or disable Fast User Switching, the Windows 10 domain Group Policy needs some edits. You can use the Local Group Policy editor, just like the Registry Editor, and control Fast User Switching feature.
In Windows 10, the Local Group Policy is a hierarchical framework that allows network administrators to modify configurations. You can edit the Group Policy to implement the desired changes in Microsoft’s Active Directory on your Windows PC.
Now, you can disable and enable Fast User Switching with the Local Group Policy Editor. Here’s a rundown of the process:
- Open the Run dialog box (Press together – Windows and R keys)
- Type ‘ gpedit.msc ’ and press the Enter key
- Local Group Policy Editor opens up
- Now, you need to navigate to the Local Computer Policy
- Here, expand the Computer Configuration folder
- Now, navigate to the Administrative Templates sub-folder
- Expand the Systems folder, and then the Logon folder
- Here, you’ll search for and open a policy named “ Hide Entry Points for Fast User Switching ”
- In the new window, select the option - either Enabled or Disabled to change this feature’s settings
- Click on OK to save changes
Remember, the changes you make by editing the Local Group Policy of your Windows computer goes long way. You can’ change them back manually; not without using the Local Group Policy Editor.
Send in your comments below on how these methods helped you adjust the Fast User Switching feature on Windows 10.
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