This situation is regularly reported by users that have recently upgraded from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10.
The exact causes for this problem are extremely miscellaneous, as the culprit is often tied to vital factors such as the dependency services or the current network configuration. Note: This error should not be confused with the “something went wrong” error that appears when creating a new account on Windows 10. If you get the “Something went wrong. Please try again later.” error when trying to create a new user account on Windows 10, please refer to this guide (here) for a list of effective troubleshooting methods. If nothing happens when you click the Add someone else to this PC button, one of the fixes below will allow you to resolve the issue. Below you have a collection of methods that users in a similar situation have used to resolve the issue and create a new user account on Windows 10. Please follow each potential fix in order until you encounter one that resolves the problem in your particular scenario. Let’s begin!
Method 1: Creating a new user account with Netplwiz
By far, the most popular method that enabled users to go around the inability to create a new user account via the Add someone else to this PC is to use the Netplwiz interface. This will allow you to create a new user account (standard, administrator or guest) – all from a graphical interface. Here’s a quick guide on using the Netplwiz (User Account) Interface to create a new user account: If this method wasn’t successful or you’re looking for a different route, move on to Method 2.
Method 2: Adding a new user account via Command Prompt
You can also create a new Windows user account manually from an elevated Command Prompt. This method involves doing everything manually but the advantage is you don’t have to switch the active user. This will require you to get a little technical, but a lot of users have confirmed that it’s effective in creating a new account where the approach using the graphical interface had failed. Here’s a quick guide on adding a new local or Microsoft Windows user account by using an elevated Command Prompt: If this method wasn’t effective or you’re looking for a way to treat the cause that prevents you from adding a new user conventionally, move down to Method 3.
Method 3: Disabling Interrupting services
Some users have managed to resolve the issue with the creation of new user accounts conventionally after discovering that the problem is caused by an interrupting background service. Some of them managed to identify the culprit after using a hit and trial approach that enabled them to identify and disable the service that was causing the issue. Here’s a quick guide on how you can identify and disable a service that might be interfering with the creation of new user accounts: If this method didn’t enable you to resolve the issue, move down to Method 4.
Method 4: Doing an in-place Reinstall
Some users have reported that they finally managed to treat the cause of the issue and manage to create new users accounts conventionally after doing an in-place reinstall. Don’t be afraid of the fancy name, this procedure is actually a lot more simple than it sounds. If you decide to do an in-place reinstall (also known as repair install), follow this guide (here) for complete step-by-step instructions. A repair-install will require you to provide (or create) some kind of installation media. But the major advantage is that it ensures minimal user data loss. If you’re looking for a simpler fix that will allow you to create user accounts conventionally, move down to Method 5.
Method 5: Resetting Windows 10
If you’ve come this far without a result, one final resolution would be to reset or refresh your Windows 10 PC. This is not ideal since it will make you lose most of your personal information, but it will definitely solve the problem that you’re currently struggling with when creating a new user account conventionally. If you decide to go for a reset, you can make it easier for yourself by following our comprehensive guide (here).
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