The account you log onto in Windows 10 is probably connected to Microsoft. Here's why you might (and might not) want to change that and how to do it.
You can set up a local user account on a Windows 10 PC so you don't have to bother with a Microsoft account. Here's how to do it.
But should you? With a Microsoft account, settings you change on one computer can carry over to others. You have an immediate, automatic connection to OneDrive. And you don’t have to type in your password every time you download an app from the Microsoft Store.
So why would you want to use a local account instead? Privacy. With a local account, Microsoft doesn’t know who you are.
If you’ve got a Microsoft account and want to convert it to a local one, click the Startbutton, then click your avatar at the top of the Start menu. Select Change account settings.
This will bring up the Accounts window in Settings. In the default Your email and accountstab, click Sign in with a local account instead.
On the resulting wizard’s first page, enter your current Microsoft account password.
On the next page of the wizard, enter a password twice. Don’t use the same one you used for your Microsoft account. You can also change your name here if you wish.
On the next page, just click Sign out and finish. Windows will log off and back on.
And yes, it will still be pretty much the same account. You’ll have the same library folders and files, the same settings, and even the same PIN if you use one.
If you ever want to go back to a Microsoft account, go back to Settings > Accounts, select the Your email and accounts tab, and click Sign in with a Microsoft account instead. Then follow the wizard. You’ll have to enter your email address and Microsoft password, and later your local password.
