Learn how to spot when a computer other people use still has someone else's account or work open, and how to leave it ready for the next person.
A computer other people use isn't safe to walk away from until you've closed your work and signed out.
Last reviewed 2026-06-17 by the IT Lunchroom Editorial Team. General guidance, not professional security or legal advice.
I can tell when a computer other people use still has someone else's account or files left open.
You'll be able to spot when a public touchscreen, a shared desk, or a front-desk computer still has someone's account, files, or work open. And you'll have a few quick steps to run before you walk away from any computer other people use.
A shared computer is any computer, tablet, or touchscreen that more than one person uses, like the screen at a service counter, a desk that different people sit at through the day, or a self-service touchscreen out in public. Whatever the last person left open is still there for the next person, so an account, a record, or a message can stay on screen long after its owner has walked off.
Here's the catch: closing a window, locking the screen, or just walking away doesn't actually sign you out. You're usually still logged in underneath, so the next person can see emails, customer records, or open files, and could even do things under your name. Saved passwords and 'keep me signed in' options make it stick around even longer.
Watch for a name, photo, or initials in a corner that aren't yours, an inbox or record you didn't open, a form that's already filled in, or a screen that jumps straight into someone's account without ever asking you to log in. Any of these means someone's still logged in and their work is still open.
Before you step away from a shared computer, run through a few quick things: save or close whatever work you opened, actually sign out of every account instead of just closing the window, clear away anything still on screen, and check that the screen is back to a login page or a blank home screen. Only then is it safe to leave.
If you sit down and find someone else already signed in, don't keep working in their account or read their records. Sign them out so the screen goes back to a login page, sign in as yourself, and let whoever handles tech where you are know it happened, so it can be sorted out.
Imagine you're wrapping up at a shared counter computer when someone calls you away. You close the browser tab and go. But closing the tab didn't log you out, so the next person opens it and sees your account and a customer's record sitting there. The fix is simple: actually sign out and check the screen is back to a login page before you step away.
Optional practice lets you rehearse these steps on pretend examples, so they feel automatic before you use a real shared computer.
Write a short note for yourself describing the steps you'll take and what you check for before leaving a shared computer, without naming any real person, account, or record you saw.
Once work is closed and the account is signed out. Closing a window or letting the screen sleep can leave you still logged in, so actually signing out is what makes the computer safe to leave.
It often leaves the account still signed in. Hiding or closing a window usually leaves you still logged in, so the next person can still get into the account unless you sign out.
Sign them out, sign in as yourself, and report it. Working in or reading someone else's account exposes their private details, so sign them out, switch to your own login, and report that they were left signed in.
Save or close the record, actually sign out, and check the screen is back to a login page before stepping away. A public touchscreen goes straight to the next person, so signing out and checking the screen is back to a login page is what keeps the customer's record private.
Sign them out so the screen goes back to a login page, sign in as yourself, and let whoever handles tech where you are know they were left logged in. That's still someone else's account, so signing them out, switching to your own login, and reporting it protects their privacy and helps stop it happening again.
Do the hands-on version of this lesson, then create a free account to save your progress. Finish a whole track and you earn a shareable certificate you can add to a résumé or job application. No payment, no catch.
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