On Windows 10, setting up a local account on Windows 10 requires that you fill in answers to three security questions, to help you recover in the event you forget your password. With local accounts, you've historically had no such option if you forget your password.

With a Microsoft account, you have multiple options to recover if you forget your password. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNETĪfter you get past those speed bumps, you can enter your username and password. That option in the lower left corner allows you to set up a local account. Those credentials grant access only to the device on which you created them. You don't need a network connection or an email address instead, you create a username (up to 20 characters) and a password, both of which are stored on the PC where you create them. Local accountĪ local account is about as old school as Windows gets. But if you do use a Microsoft account for services such as Microsoft 365 and OneDrive, it makes sense to sign in to Windows using the same account. (For more details on how telemetry works, see 'Windows 10 telemetry secrets: Where, when, and why Microsoft collects your data.')Īlso: The best Windows laptop models: Comparing Dell, Samsung, Lenovo, and moreĪnd, of course, you can create a Microsoft account and use it exclusively for signing in to Windows while keeping your email, cloud storage, and other services elsewhere. Note that Windows telemetry data is tied to your device and isn't associated with a Microsoft account.

You can sync data and settings for preinstalled Windows apps (Mail and Calendar, for example) and easily restore apps you download from the Store.

You can sign in automatically to any Microsoft consumer service using your saved Microsoft Account credentials.

(For a full list, see 'Windows 10 roaming settings reference.') That includes personalization settings like your desktop background, saved passwords (including Wi-Fi profiles), language and regional settings, and more.

Windows allows you to sync settings between PCs where you sign in using the same Microsoft account.Signing in with a Microsoft account stores a record of your successful activation, allowing you to easily restore your activation (no product key required) if you ever have to reinstall Windows.If you turn on BitLocker encryption (Pro and Enterprise editions only), your recovery key is stored in OneDrive, allowing you to retrieve your data if you find yourself locked out. On PCs designed for Windows 10 or Windows 11, signing in with a Microsoft account automatically enables full-disk encryption for the system drive, even on systems running Home Edition.

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