How to disable user account on Windows 11

Windows 11 provides at least four ways to disable accounts on your computer, and here's how.

Windows 11 disable account
Windows 11 disable account
  • To disable an account on Windows 11, open Command Prompt (Admin) and run the “net user “ACCOUNT” /active:no” command.
  • Alternatively, in PowerShell (admin), run the “Disable-LocalUser -Name ACCOUNT” command.
  • You can also disable local accounts on Windows 11 from Computer Management and the Settings app.

On Windows 11, if you want to temporarily prevent a user from signing into the computer, you don’t have to delete the account. You can disable it to preserve their settings, apps, and files.

If you need to restrict access to a user temporarily, Windows 11 includes multiple ways to disable an account using Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Computer Management. You can also use the Settings app, but you can only disable members created using the Family settings.

This guide will teach you the different ways to disable an account on Windows 11.

Disable user account on Windows 11 from Command Prompt

To disable a user account from Command Prompt on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start on Windows 11.

  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to identify the account and press Enter:

    net user
  4. Type the following command to disable the account and press Enter:

    net user "ACCOUNT" /active:no

    Command Prompt disable account

    In the command, replace “ACCOUNT” with the account’s name to disable. This net user "Local Demo" /active:no example disables the “Local Demo” account.

Once you complete the steps, the account will be disabled, and the user won’t be able to sign in.

If you have to re-enable the account, then run the net user "ACCOUNT" /active:yes command

Disable user account on Windows 11 from PowerShell

To disable an account through PowerShell, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to identify the account and press Enter:

    Get-LocalUser
  4. Type the following command to disable the account and press Enter:

    Disable-LocalUser -Name "ACCOUNT"

    PowerShell disable account

    In the command, replace “ACCOUNT” with the account’s name to disable. This Disable-LocalUser -Name "Local Demo" example disables the “Local Demo” account.

After you complete the steps, the PowerShell command will disable the account.

If you have to re-enable the account, then run the Enable-LocalUser -Name "ACCOUNT" command

Disable user account on Windows 11 from Computer Management

To disable an account with Computer Management, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Computer Management and click the top result to open the app.

  3. Browse the following path:

    Computer Management > System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Users
  4. Right-click the user account and select the Properties option.

    Computer Management open account properties

  5. Click the General tab.

  6. Check the “Account is disabled” option.

    Computer Management disable account

Once you complete the steps, the user will no longer have access to the account until you clear the “Account is disabled” option.

Disable user account on Windows 11 from Settings

To disable a Family member account on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Click on Accounts.

  3. Click the Family page.

  4. Under the “Your family” section, select the account and click the Block sign in button.

    Family settings disable account access

  5. Click the Block button.

After you complete the steps, the users won’t be able to sign in until a family organizer restore access to the account.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].