By default, after installing Windows 10, we are asked to use or register a Microsoft account, so as to access all the cloud features, including synchronization of the user license, synchronization of OneDrive and personal settings. A Microsoft account is convenient because it will allow us to log in with our online credentials, useful to increase the security of our computer and then also be able to access apps such as Photos or Mail. Many people, however, may prefer to maintain a traditional local account on Windows 10, not tied to an online service and therefore more respectful of our privacy. In this guide we will show you how to create a local account on Windows 10 when installing Windows 10 and how to create a local account at any time later, even if we are already logged in with a Microsoft account.
How to create a local account on Windows 10
In the two chapters of the guide we will first show you how to create a local account immediately during the installation phase of Windows 10 and later how to create one after having already logged in with a Microsoft account (which we can decide to keep or remove at our discretion).Create a local account during installation
During the installation of Windows 10, we can choose to create a local account that is not connected directly from the account creation screen, despite Microsoft pushing for the use of the online account (for various reasons). Once we reach the window where we are asked for a Microsoft account, we press in the lower left on the item Account offline .
In the next window (full of suggestions on why it is better to use an online account) we press on No, so as to find ourselves in the window where we can enter the username of the local account.
We choose a name at will, press the Next button at the bottom right, choose an access password (we can also leave the field empty for automatic access without a login screen) and finally press Next to finish creating the account .
Now the installation of Windows 10 will continue with the various system configurations, exactly as if we used an online account (immediately after this phase we will be asked various questions about the services we want to activate on Windows 10).
At the end of the initial configuration, we will have access to our new Windows 10 with a local account, without the need to necessarily use an online account.
Create a local account after installation
We already logged in with a Microsoft account during installation and want to use a local account from now on ">In the side window we click on the item Add another user to this PC, we click on the item I do not have the login information of this person and finally we click on the item Add a user without a Microsoft account to start the local account creation procedure.
In the new window we insert a username and a password, then we press on Next and Finish to confirm the changes; the next time the system is started, we can choose to start the Microsoft account or the local account.
To remove the Microsoft account and use a single local account (without choosing the account when logging in to the system), simply go to Settings -> Account -> Your info, click on the item Log in with a local account .
In the window that appears, click on Next and enter the login credentials of our Microsoft account to confirm the conversion of the account from online to offline. After the conversion, we will be able to manage the access procedures directly from the Access Options menu, completely independently of the newly disconnected Microsoft account.
From this menu we can set a password for the local account by pressing on the Password item, in order to increase security; we can use the same item even if we did not set one during the installation phase or during the creation of the account with the system already installed.
Together with the access password (essential) we can also use the PIN (simpler and more immediate to use), a security key, a graphic password or with biometric procedures (fingerprint and face recognition, only with the presence of dedicated hardware ).
To learn more, we can read our guide Protect access to the Windows PC with a lock screen and password .
Conclusions
With a local Windows 10 account we can use all the features of the operating system without having to configure access to the Microsoft account, which shares data with Microsoft servers in real time and allows you to use the services associated with it (which many they do not use and therefore they can do very well without them).Without the local account, however, we will not be able to redeem our Windows 10 product key, since the new activation system also allows you to use the licenses saved on our Microsoft account; to learn more about the activation of Windows, please read our articles How to activate Windows 10 and resolve product key errors and Find the Windows Product Key and validate the authentic copy .
To learn more about the account management on Windows, we refer you to read our study on how to create and manage user accounts on Windows .
