Lesson 4: User and Group Account Management

Computers use user accounts to control who can log in and access resources. Each user has a username and password, and files they own. Groups collect users for easier permission management (for example, putting all HR staff in one group). This system makes it easy to grant or restrict access: instead of setting permissions for each user, you set them for a group. In both Windows and Linux, permissions (read/write/execute) determine what a user or group can do with a file or folder.

On Windows, you create users via the Control Panel's "User Accounts" or through "Active Directory Users and Computers" for domain environments. Administrators add or remove accounts, set passwords, and define group memberships (like "Administrators" or "Users"). Windows also has a built-in "Computer Management" console (compmgmt.msc) where local users and groups can be managed. Typically, you might create a departmental group (e.g. "Accounting"), then add each accountant user to it, simplifying permissions on shared drives.