Where are the account settings?
Half the systems in this group name the screen after the function and half name it after the vendor whose account you are signing into. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
20 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use six different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Account | 7 |
| Apple Account | 5 |
| Accounts | 4 |
| Users and Accounts | 2 |
| Accounts and backup | 1 |
| Users & accounts | 1 |
The most common is Account, on 7 of the 20. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 11 of the 20 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| Android 17 | Accounts and backup | 1 |
| ChromeOS 151 | Accounts | 1 |
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | Users & accounts | 1 |
| Mac OS X 10.6 | Accounts | 1 |
| Meta Quest v81 | Accounts | 1 |
| PlayStation 26.06 | Users and Accounts | 1 |
| Roku OS Roku OS 16 | Account | 1 |
| tvOS 27 | Users and Accounts | 1 |
| Windows 11 | Accounts | 1 |
| Xbox 2608 | Account | 1 |
| iOS 6 6.1 | iCloud › Account | 2 |
| Fire TV Vega OS | Account and Profile › Amazon Photos › Account | 3 |
| Garmin System 20 | Connectivity › Garmin Connect › Account | 3 |
| HyperOS 4.0 | Passwords and security › Find Device › Account | 3 |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | Users & Groups › John Wick › Apple Account | 3 |
| OxygenOS 16 | Security and privacy › Find My Device › Account | 3 |
| iOS 27.0 | General › Transfer or Reset iPhone › Erase All Content and Settings › Apple Account | 4 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | General › Transfer or Reset iPad › Erase All Content and Settings › Apple Account | 4 |
| visionOS 27 | General › Reset › Erase All Content and Settings › Apple Account | 4 |
| watchOS 27 | General › Reset › Erase All Content and Settings › Apple Account | 4 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
Accounts is the neutral framing: a list, possibly containing several. Apple Account or Samsung account is the opposite — the vendor assuming theirs is the one that matters and the others are guests.
Which you see tells you how the system treats a second mail or calendar account: as a peer, or as something bolted onto the side of the primary identity.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to locking a device, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where are the account settings on most systems?
On 11 of the 20 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Account”, used by 7 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are six different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
20 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.