In contrast, if you have a local account on a Windows computer, you can log in when your computer is offline or online. As a result, you need to connect to the Internet to log in to any of your Windows devices. With a Microsoft account, you can use the same set of credentials to log in to multiple Windows devices (e.g., desktop computer, tablet, smartphone) and various Microsoft services (e.g., OneDrive, Skype, Office 365) because your account and device settings are stored in the cloud. Microsoft accounts differ from local accounts in several ways. The Main Differences between Microsoft and Local Accounts Before making the change, though, you need to know about the differences between these two types of accounts so that you can choose the best one for your situation.

You can configure Windows 10 to use a local account during the initial setup or after it. With a local account, you do not need to connect to the Internet to log in to your computer. It does not mention that you can sign in with a local account, but you can. However, you are not required to use a Microsoft account, even though it appears that way.ĭuring the initial setup, Windows 10 tells you to sign in with an existing Microsoft account or create a new one. One of the biggest complaints about Windows 10 is that it forces you to log in with a Microsoft account, which means you need to connect to the Internet.

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