Lock and Switch User - Add or Remove

How to Add or Remove Lock and Switch User from the Start Menu in Vista

information   Information
This will show you how to add or remove Lock and Switch User from the Start Menu for all user accounts on the computer.
Tip   Tip
If you only wanted to add or remove Switch User, then see: How to Add or Remove Switch User from the Start Menu in Vista

EXAMPLE: Before (Add) and After (Remove) Switch User and Lock
Lock_Before.jpgLock_After.jpg



OPTION ONE
Using a REG File Download

1. To Remove Lock and Switch User
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.​
Remove_Lock_Start_Menu.reg
download

B) Go to step 3.​

2. To Add Lock and Switch User
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.​
Add_Lock_Start_Menu.reg
download

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.​
4. Right click the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.​
5. Click on Run, Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted.​
6. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the changes.​
7. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​



OPTION TWO
Manually in Registry Editor

1. Open the Start Menu.​
2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.​
3. Click on Continue in the UAC prompt.​
4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below step 5C)​
NOTE: If you do not have System, then right click on Polices and click on New and Key, then type System and press Enter.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
5. To Remove Lock and Switch User
A) In the right pane of the System key, right click on a empty area and click on New and click DWORD (32 bit) Value.​
B) Type DisableLockWorkstation and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​
C) Right click on DisableLockWorkstation and click on Modify. (See screenshot below)​
HKLM_Reg.jpg

D) Type 1 and click on OK. (See screenshot below)​
Modify.jpg

6. To Add Switch User
A) Right click on DisableLockWorkstation and click Delete. (See screenshot below step 5C)​
B) Click on Yes to confirm the delete.​

7. Close regedit.​
8. Log off and log on, or restart the computer to apply the changes.​
That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

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  • Add_Lock_Start_Menu.reg
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  • LogOff.jpg
    LogOff.jpg
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Last edited:
The screen originally showed a sort of button with my user picture with my name below it and with the word "locked" beneath. Below that "button" was another button saying "Guest" and "switch user" below the word "guest".

Now the Guest button is gone, but my "button" is still there and still says "locked". All I have to do is hit enter or click on the button and go about my business, it's just annoying that I can't get it to do what I want. I guess I'll just have to live with it.

The screen is a Vista background, and the only other thing on the page beside the two (now one) button is a accessibility wheelchair logo in the bottom left corner. When I press that it just takes me to the accessibility portion of Control Panel.

I do not have lock on my start menu, nor switch user, I'm not positive, but I really don't think they were ever there.

I'm the only person who uses my computer, so I don't have a password nor do I ever plan to. I just don't put sensitive information on the computer.

I do appreciate your trying to help and thanks for taking the time.

Sally
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq Presario F572US
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core Processor TK-53 1.70 GHz
    Motherboard
    ?
    Memory
    1024MB DDR2 memory 80GB hard drive
    Graphics Card(s)
    ?
    Sound Card
    ?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor on NVIDIA GeForce Go 6100
    Screen Resolution
    1280 by 800 pixels
    Keyboard
    built in laptop keyboard
    Mouse
    Synaptics touch pad and external generic ball-less mouse
Ok Sally. I understand what you mean now. The other posts were removed to keep this on track.

You are talking about at the log on screen for when you click on Lock or Switch User in the Start Menu. This is completely different than what this tutorial is for. This tutorial only adds or removed the Lock or Switch User from only the Start Menu as in the example screenshot at the top of the tutorial.

Anytime you click on Lock from the Start Menu, Lock will always appear under you (user name) icon on the log on screen until you logon again.

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Lock is not on my start menu. To the right of the power button is an arrow which, when clicked offers me Log Off, Restart, Sleep, Hibernate and Shut Down.

I never had this screen before I recently did a system restore back to the factory level. This computer was still in the box when I got it and I made the backup right away as directed in the instructions.

I just want to get it to go away. It seems ridiculous that it only does itunder those circumstances. I'm not even sure whether it's hibernating or sleeping, but that's the only time the screen comes up. Unfortunately, I just close the laptop when I go to bed so I get it every day, sometimes several times a day since I often close it when I got out or just let it turn itself off naturally (I think 20 minutes).

If I can unlock my user account do you think the screen will go away?
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq Presario F572US
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core Processor TK-53 1.70 GHz
    Motherboard
    ?
    Memory
    1024MB DDR2 memory 80GB hard drive
    Graphics Card(s)
    ?
    Sound Card
    ?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor on NVIDIA GeForce Go 6100
    Screen Resolution
    1280 by 800 pixels
    Keyboard
    built in laptop keyboard
    Mouse
    Synaptics touch pad and external generic ball-less mouse

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Bingo. In the Power Options, I found Choose what closing the lid does. It had require password on resume checked. I checked the other box and saved it.

Thanks so much!!

Sally
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Compaq Presario F572US
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core Processor TK-53 1.70 GHz
    Motherboard
    ?
    Memory
    1024MB DDR2 memory 80GB hard drive
    Graphics Card(s)
    ?
    Sound Card
    ?
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor on NVIDIA GeForce Go 6100
    Screen Resolution
    1280 by 800 pixels
    Keyboard
    built in laptop keyboard
    Mouse
    Synaptics touch pad and external generic ball-less mouse
You're welcome Sally. That's is great news. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted out. :geek:

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
I already read that post before. But after a second look at it, I have come up with an idea. I can disable both the Lock and Switch User options from the Start Menu while keep the Switch User in the Windows Security screen.

Thanks for your reply and, also, your welcome.

PK
 

My Computer

PK, I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted out. Thank you for sharing your results. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
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