How to Give a Standard Windows User Access to WinCC in PCS 7 V9.1

If WinCC starts under the built-in Administrator account but not under a standard Windows account on a PCS 7 V9.1 engineering station, check that the intended account belongs to the PCS 7 Windows groups required for its installed components. Siemens documents that other users must be added to the relevant groups; its PC Configuration manual identifies SIMATIC HMI for PCS 7 engineering and SIMATIC NET for Windows users working with PCS 7 projects. The report does not confirm that adding these groups resolved this particular Field PG.

Applies To

This guidance addresses the reported PCS 7 V9.1 engineering-station symptom: WinCC worked when launched as the built-in Administrator, while the intended standard account failed. The user later clarified that the installation was PCS 7 V9.1 base release, not V9.1 SP1. The Siemens PC Configuration manual cited here is for PCS 7 V9.1.

Why Administrator Access Can Differ

PCS 7 setup automatically enters the installing user into relevant Windows user management for the installed components. Siemens states that additional Windows users must be set up and assigned to the relevant PCS 7 component groups. Its V9.1 table associates SIMATIC HMI with PCS 7 Engineering and lists OS project engineer, project administrator, operator and operator groups as members. The manual also states that all Windows users working with PCS 7, PCS 7 OS or Route Control projects must belong to the SIMATIC NET group when that group is created. An Administrator account succeeding does not establish that the separate standard account has equivalent application-group membership.

Check the PCS 7 Version and Operating System

The PCS 7 V9.1 Readme lists Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 as a released operating system. The source environment initially reported Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 1903 and later reported installation on LTSC 2019; changing the operating system reportedly did not remove the account-specific symptom. The V9.1 Readme does not establish approval of the specific SIMATIC Field PG M6 configuration in this report. Check the applicable hardware compatibility matrix and product-specific readmes for the precise Field PG model and installed components.

Procedure: Check and Assign the Required Groups

Use an authorized Windows administrator to inspect the account and make only the group changes required by the installed PCS 7 components:

Confirm the Windows identity used for the failed WinCC launch, including whether it is a local or domain account. Check that the account is enabled and that the problem reproduces under that same identity.
Open Windows Local Users and Groups, select Groups, and inspect SIMATIC HMI and SIMATIC NET. Siemens documents those group names and the required memberships in PCS 7 - PC Configuration V9.1, section 5.4.8.
For a local account, add the intended user to the applicable local groups through the site's authorized Windows user-management process. For a domain account, Siemens documents creating a domain global group, adding the account to it, and adding that domain group to local SIMATIC HMI using the Add member dialog. The domain administrator should perform domain changes.
Confirm the required membership for every PCS 7 component actually installed. Siemens specifically says that all Windows users working with PCS 7, PCS 7 OS or Route Control projects must be members of SIMATIC NET when that group exists. Do not add broad Windows administrative rights as a substitute for the documented application groups.
Sign out and back in using the intended account so Windows starts a new user session, then launch WinCC in the normal approved manner and record the exact result.

Expected Result and Verification

The documented configuration is that the additional account is included in the relevant component groups. After changing membership, verify WinCC under the intended account and confirm that the project opens with the permissions appropriate to that role. A successful launch alone does not validate the account's authorization for every PCS 7 function. If the same failure remains, capture the full message and review Windows and PCS 7 user configuration for the installed components; the available report does not provide a confirmed further repair.

Field PG M6 and Setup Observations

The reported Field PG M6 was an Advanced model with an Intel Core i7-8850H, 32 GB RAM and a 512 GB drive. The user reported PCS 7 installation without setup errors, a WinCC splash screen followed by closure, and later different behavior between Administrator and standard-user accounts. These are case observations, not proof of Field PG compatibility or of a particular software defect. The report's mention of high CPU use by PUD Manager for about an hour is anecdotal and does not establish a normal duration or a diagnostic threshold.

Limitations and Operational Precautions

No final confirmation was provided that the normal account started WinCC after group membership was corrected. Apply the V9.1 group requirements to the actual installed PCS 7 components and configured local or domain users; do not assume a blanket Administrators or Power Users requirement. The supported-OS list does not by itself approve a specific Field PG model. Make account changes under site security controls and avoid using the built-in Administrator as the routine workaround for engineering access.

Verification

Check the exact account identity and the SIMATIC HMI and, where applicable, SIMATIC NET memberships against the installed PCS 7 components. Sign in as the intended user and reproduce the original WinCC launch. Record whether WinCC opens the intended project and whether the account has the expected role-limited functions. If launch still fails, preserve the complete error and investigate account policy, installed-component requirements and the Field PG compatibility information for PCS 7 V9.1.

Engineer FAQ

Why does the built-in Administrator work while a named account fails? The two accounts can have different PCS 7 component-group membership. The V9.1 PC Configuration manual requires additional users to be assigned to applicable groups.

Which group is listed for PCS 7 Engineering? Siemens' V9.1 group table lists SIMATIC HMI for PCS 7 Engineering and associates OS project engineers, project administrators, operators and operator groups with it.

Is SIMATIC NET relevant to an engineering account? The manual says that all Windows users working with PCS 7, PCS 7 OS or Route Control projects must be members when the SIMATIC NET group is created.

Does the manual require users to be Windows Administrators or Power Users? The cited group instructions do not make either a blanket requirement for routine PCS 7 engineering access.

Is Windows 10 IoT Enterprise 1903 listed as a PCS 7 V9.1 operating system? The V9.1 Readme lists Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019 and specified Windows Server editions; it does not list IoT Enterprise 1903.

Does changing to LTSC 2019 prove the Field PG is supported? No. OS support and hardware-model compatibility are separate checks; consult the PCS 7 V9.1 compatibility matrix for the exact model and configuration.

Should the engineer keep launching WinCC as Administrator? Use the account configuration Siemens documents for the installed components and the intended user role. Routine elevation does not correct missing per-user PCS 7 group membership.

What should be checked first when WinCC closes after its splash screen? For this account-specific symptom, compare the intended account's group memberships with the V9.1 requirements and capture the full error. The report does not establish a broader WinCC startup cause.

Will adding the documented groups certainly solve this specific Field PG case? The manual establishes the membership requirements, but the report does not confirm a successful retest after making the change. Treat the step as the documented configuration to verify, not a guaranteed repair.

Why must group changes be followed by a fresh sign-in? Windows applies account group membership when creating the user's logon session. A fresh sign-in is a practical way to test the updated membership; it is not a Field PG-specific fix documented in the source report.

Technical References

Siemens, PCS 7 - PC Configuration (V9.1), section 5.4.8 “Setting up user groups and users,” pp. 89–92 (component-group requirements and documented domain-group procedure): https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/377/109794377/att_1057431/v1/ps7pck_b_en-US.pdf
Siemens, PCS 7 Readme V9.1 (Online), document A5E42575789-AA, sections 3.3.1.2 and 3.4.1.1 (hardware/OS compatibility and released operating systems): https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/270/109780270/att_1057737/v1/pcs7-readme_en-US.pdf
Siemens, PCS 7 Readme V9.1 incl. SP1 (Online), document A5E51259286-AC, section 4.4.6 “Setting access permissions in the operating system” (later V9.1 SP1 context; the reported installation was base V9.1): https://cache.industry.siemens.com/dl/files/032/109801032/att_1076812/v2/pcs7-readme_en-US.pdf

Related Tags

SIMATIC PCS 7
WinCC
Windows user groups
Field PG

How to Give a Standard Windows User Access to WinCC in PCS 7 V9.1