Last Updated on April 25, 2026
You may have noticed that everything we do these days is online and that we need to have an email account associated with every device we own and sign into. Of course this makes it easier for companies to track us, bombard us with “personalized” ads and try and force us to use their online services such as Microsoft OneDrive.
Starting with Windows 10, Microsoft requires you to log into your computer using a Microsoft account email and its associated password. You can use this same account to log into all of your Windows computers and have certain settings be synchronized between them. Before Windows 10, you would log in with a local account which was unique to that computer. Sure, you can create a local account for Windows once you have it installed and there is even a method you can use to install Windows with a local account rather than a Microsoft account.
But if your computer is already configured with a Microsoft account and you want to use a local account, you can still do so. In this article, we will be showing you how to change your existing Microsoft account to a local account in Windows 11. This process will also work for Windows 10, but the settings screens will look a little different. Here is a video you can watch showing how the process works on Windows 10.
Stop: Check Your BitLocker Recovery Key First
Before you hit the button to switch account types, there is a major security catch you need to be aware of. If your computer uses BitLocker or standard Windows Device Encryption, your recovery key is currently safely backed up to your Microsoft cloud account.
When you sever that connection by moving to a local account, you risk getting permanently locked out of your own hard drive if your motherboard’s TPM ever triggers a security trip. Always log into your Microsoft account on the web and print out or save a physical copy of your BitLocker recovery key before making this switch.
To change your existing Microsoft account to a local account in Windows, you will need to go to the Accounts section in the Windows Settings app and then click on Your info. Here you can see the email address associated with your Microsoft Account. Under the Account settings section, you will see a link that says Sign in with a local account instead.
Once you click this link, you will be asked to confirm that you want to switch to a local account, and you will also be notified that you won’t see your personalized settings on all your devices. You can then click the Next button to continue.
The next step involves choosing a username for your account. Windows will fill this in for you based on your existing Microsoft account, but you can change this if desired. You will then need to create a password for this account as well as a password hint. If you currently have your computer setup to use a PIN, you will still be able to use this to log into your computer.
Will I Lose My Desktop Files or Photos?
A common fear when changing account types is that Windows will wipe out the user profile, deleting desktop shortcuts, documents, and downloaded files. Fortunately, this conversion is completely seamless.
Windows simply modifies the underlying registry keys for your user profile folder to detach the email address. Your files stay exactly where they are. However, any folders that were actively syncing to the cloud via OneDrive will stop backing up automatically. You will need to manually open the OneDrive app from your system tray and sign back in if you still want those cloud backups running in the background.
Once everything is configured, you will be signed out of your computer so you can then sign in with your newly converted local account.
Now when you go back to your account settings, you will see that your account is now a local account. You may also notice that Microsoft will try and get you to sign in with a Microsoft account once again.
If you want to switch back to a Microsoft account for your Windows login, you can easily do so by going back to the Windows settings and to the Accounts section once again. Now you will see a link that says Sign in with a Microsoft account instead.
Once you click this link, you will need to enter the email address and password associated with your Microsoft account and then you will be back to using a Microsoft account rather than a local account.
Local vs. Microsoft Account FAQ
Can I still download apps from the Microsoft Store?
Yes. You can run a purely local Windows profile but still sign into individual applications (like the Microsoft Store, Xbox App, or the Mail app) using your Microsoft credentials. When prompted to sign in, just make sure to select “Microsoft apps only” instead of letting it apply the account to the whole PC.
Will switching to a local account deactivate Windows?
No. Modern Windows 10 and 11 digital licenses are tied directly to your motherboard’s unique hardware ID. Moving to a local account will not remove your activation status.
Why does Windows keep nagging me to switch back?
Microsoft heavily pushes its connected ecosystem. Even after switching, you might see occasional pop-ups in the Settings app or Notifications panel suggesting you “Finish setting up your device” by linking a Microsoft account again. You can safely ignore or dismiss these prompts.
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