Logging In with Local vs. Microsoft Credentials

If you've been using Windows 10 for a while, you may have experienced a surprise when logging in. I'm talking about the realization that suddenly you were being prompted to login using your Microsoft username and password instead of the local username and password that had been serving you fine for weeks. Unbeknownst to you, you got switched over to using a Microsoft account automatically – usually the first time you login to the Windows Store.

Personally, I find this behavior very unsettling despite there being some advantages associated with being logged in under your Microsoft account. (For example, synchronizing settings among different PCs; easy access to the Microsoft Store; personalized Bing search engine and MSN; free online storage via One Drive; etc.) Nevertheless, the unannounced automatic switchover to a Microsoft account is a little too Orwellian for me. So out of spite more than anything else, I wanted to switch back to my local account. If you want to learn how to switch back and forth between your local account and your Microsoft account, read on.

Go to Start | Settings and click on Accounts. You'll see a window similar to the following: (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Windows Account Settings.

You can see from the figure that I'm currently logged in using my local account, but the option is there to let me sign in with my Microsoft account. Go ahead and click the link "Sign In with a Microsoft Account Instead." You'll then be presented with a screen like this: (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. Signing in to a Microsoft account, step 1.

Enter your Microsoft email address and the associated password, and click Sign In. You're then prompted for your current (local) Windows password. (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3. Signing in to a Microsoft account, step 2.

Enter your current Windows password and click Next. One more window will appear asking you to set a PIN. You can skip that. Now, without any fanfare or other windows to click through, you are now logged in under your Microsoft account. To verify this, again click Start | Settings and then click Accounts. (See Figure 4.)

Figure 4. Account settings when signed in under your Microsoft account.

As you can see, the settings here are different from what they were before. (I have redacted my Microsoft email account, which would appear directly under my name.) Note also that there's a link near the bottom to "Sign in with a local account instead".

You can continue working on your PC as before, except now you have access to the benefits mentioned earlier (synchronization, One Drive, etc.). Should you wish to return to using your local account, you do so by clicking the "Sign in with a local account instead" link. This leads you through a short wizard (be aware of what passwords are being asked for) and a reminder to save your work because this time you will be signed out and you'll have to login again. When you're presented with the login screen, enter your local Windows password and you're back in business.

 This tip (668) applies to Windows 10.