We’ve talked before about the difference between local and Microsoft accounts in Windows 10. That prompted a reader to ask:
“Can I have either a Local Account or a Microsoft Account on Win 10?”
If you aren’t familiar with the terms, here are the basic differences:
With a Microsoft account, you’ll have to sign in with a Microsoft address (Outlook.com, Hotmail, MSN, or LiveMail). You’ll have access to the Windows Store to download and install apps, and you also get free OneDrive cloud storage that you can sync to your PC.
Your settings can sync automatically across multiple devices. For example, changes I make in a Word document on my desktop sync with that same document on my laptop.
You can make your passwords, desktop picture, and settings the same across all of your Windows devices. If you use Outlook, OneDrive, or other Microsoft services this can be handy.
With a local account, you can use any username you want. Your settings won’t be synced across multiple devices. If you need to download something from the Windows Store, you’ll have to log in with a Microsoft account. Some people like this better because they prefer to share as little info as possible with Microsoft or anyone else. If you do use some Microsoft services but prefer a local account, you’ll need to log into each of them separately. If you’re using a single device and don’t use any of Microsoft’s other services, you should be fine with a local account.
With your Windows PC, you can have both a local and a Microsoft account under your username and also add either local or Microsoft accounts for other users.
You can follow this link to learn how to create a local account. https://wp.me/p8UTIb-viB