Microsoft Accounts (23H2)

Windows 11 supports three types of sign-in accounts: Microsoft accounts, work or school accounts, and local accounts. Though we cover all three in this book, we focus largely on Microsoft accounts because they are the most common method used by individuals to sign in to the system.
Work or school accounts and local accounts each have their own chapters.

Microsoft sometimes refers to local accounts as offline accounts to differentiate them from online accounts like Microsoft accounts and work or school accounts.
Microsoft account basics
In the before times, Windows users would create a local account when they first signed in to Windows on a PC. But any configuration changes they subsequently made, or documents and other files they saved to that PC, would be unavailable when they used another computer. Worse, most of these accounts were not protected by even a password, leaving the personal data and other contents stored on the PC exposed to theft.

Today, Windows is more sophisticated, and most individuals sign in to Windows 11 with their Microsoft account instead of a local account. And because so much in Windows relies on you using this type of account, we usually assume that this is how you will be signing in to Windows. Indeed, Microsoft makes it very difficult not to sign in to Windows 11 with a Microsoft account (or work or school account, which is a bit like a Microsoft account for businesses and other managed organizations instead of individuals).

Some key benefits of using a Microsoft account include:

It's more secure. Because you can configure your Microsoft account to require secure two-step verification methods, there's no need to remember complicated passwords. Indeed, you can even remove the password from your Microsoft account if you'd like. Once it's properly configured, a Microsoft account is more secure than a local account.
This topic is so important that it gets its own chapter. Check out Secure Your Microsoft Account for the details.
Some experiences require a Microsoft account. Some of the built-in experiences in Windows 11, like OneDrive file system integration, require a Microsoft account. If you sign in to the PC with a Microsoft account, Windows will pass through your sign in credentials and these experiences will work seamlessly. If you don't, you may need to sign in to them individually.

Many in-box apps require a Microsoft account. Many of the in-box apps that come with Windows 11--like the Microsoft Store and Xbox--require a Microsoft account as well, as do many apps you download from the Store. Yes, you can manually sign in to those apps as needed, but when you sign in to Windows 11 with your Microsoft account, those apps work seamlessly.

It provides some back up and settings sync capabilities. With a Microsoft account, you can automatically sync key user folders like Desktop, Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos with OneDrive. And some of your settings--including accessibility settings, sa...