If you want a Windows 11 PC that doesn’t ask for an email address at the sign-in screen, there’s no need to reinstall or start a new user profile: you can convert the account you already use. Go to Settings > Accounts > Your info, choose Sign in with a local account instead, and pick a user name and password. Your files, apps and desktop stay put. Afterward, the sign-in lives only on this PC, so settings sync and online password resets stop.
Is a local sign-in the right fit?
A local account is a user name and password stored only on this computer. A Microsoft account is an online identity (usually an email address) that Windows can sync across devices. Microsoft recommends the Microsoft account, but plenty of people prefer local, and you can still use Microsoft apps with a local Windows sign-in. If the switch is blocked because the PC belongs to an organization, it was probably joined through Access work or school, which is how you join Windows 11 to Microsoft Entra ID.
| Your setup | Local account works well? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One PC, rarely or never connected to the internet | Yes | Nothing to sync, and the sign-in doesn’t depend on an online service |
| A shared family or workshop computer | Yes | No one’s personal email is tied to the PC’s sign-in |
| Several Windows PCs that you want to look the same | Less so | Settings sync between devices stops |
| You tend to forget passwords | Only with a plan | There’s no online reset for a local password |
| You rely on OneDrive and Office every day | Yes, with a little extra sign-in | You sign in inside each app instead of in Windows |
If you’d rather keep your Microsoft account and simply add a second, separate local user (for a guest or a child), that is a different job: see creating a new local account on Windows 11 or adding another user to Windows 11.
Check which account you use now
Open Settings (Windows key + I), select Accounts, then Your info. A Microsoft account shows your email address under your name and offers the link to switch to a local account. A local account shows “Local Account” and offers Sign in with a Microsoft account instead. Microsoft’s account switching page confirms that each link appears only for the opposite account type, so if you already see the Microsoft link, you are local and there’s nothing to convert.
Save these before you convert
The switch itself takes a couple of minutes. These four checks are what save you from trouble later.
- Your BitLocker or device encryption recovery key. When a PC is set up with a Microsoft account, device encryption often turns on and the recovery key is saved to that account. You can check whether encryption is on at Settings > Privacy & security > Device encryption (or see checking whether BitLocker is on in Windows 11). Then sign in at aka.ms/myrecoverykey from another device, find the key whose ID starts with the same 8 characters as the one shown on this PC, and write it down or print it. Microsoft explains the matching in Find your BitLocker recovery key.
- OneDrive files that live only online. After the switch you’ll sign in to OneDrive separately. Make sure anything you need offline is downloaded first, or read how to keep files on the PC instead of OneDrive.
- Your Microsoft account password or PIN. Windows asks you to confirm who you are before it converts the account.
- A recovery plan for the new password. Microsoft recommends creating a password reset disk for a local account, which you can do right after the switch (covered below).
Convert your sign-in in Settings
These steps apply to Windows 11 Home and Pro on a personal PC. Close any open documents first, because the last step signs you out.
- Press Windows key + I and select Accounts > Your info.
- Under Account settings, select Sign in with a local account instead.
- Select Next and confirm with your PIN or Microsoft account password.
- Type a user name. It must be different from any other account on this PC, so if “Alex” already exists as a second user, try “AlexHome”.
- Enter a password twice and a password hint. Anyone at the sign-in screen can read the hint, so make it a reminder rather than a giveaway. Windows lets you leave the password blank, but then anyone who opens the laptop can sign in.
- Select Next, then Sign out and finish.
- At the sign-in screen, sign in with the new local password. Your desktop appears as it was.
To confirm it worked, return to Settings > Accounts > Your info. It should say Local Account and offer Sign in with a Microsoft account instead.
Now set up the safety net. Microsoft’s password reset disk instructions work only while you’re signed in with a local account: plug in a USB flash drive, open Control Panel, search for “create password reset”, select Create a password reset disk, and follow the wizard. Keep the drive somewhere safe. You don’t need a new one each time you change the password. You can also add a PIN or fingerprint under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
What you keep and what you lose
| Item | After the switch |
|---|---|
| Files, desktop, installed apps | Unchanged, in the same user profile |
| Settings sync with other PCs | Stops; settings stay on this PC only |
| OneDrive | Works if you sign in to the OneDrive app; cloud-only files aren’t available until you do |
| Microsoft Store, Microsoft 365, Outlook | Work after you sign in inside each app; subscriptions belong to the Microsoft account, not the Windows sign-in |
| Forgotten password | No online reset; use the hint or a password reset disk |
| PIN, face or fingerprint | Still available; you may need to set them up again in Sign-in options |
| Your Microsoft account itself | Still exists online with its email, files and purchases |
Keep Windows local when apps ask you to sign in
The first time you open the Microsoft Store, Outlook or another Microsoft app, it will ask for your Microsoft account. That is expected. The thing to watch is the screen that follows: if Windows offers to use the account across the whole device, look for a choice such as Microsoft apps only or a link to sign in to this app only. Accepting the device-wide option can turn your Windows sign-in back into a Microsoft account. If that happens, simply repeat the conversion.
If an app account is left behind that you no longer want, the cleanup steps are in removing a Microsoft account from Windows 11.
When the link is missing or the PC is managed
- You see “Sign in with a Microsoft account instead”. You’re already on a local account.
- The page shows a work or school account. Company and school PCs are usually controlled through policy, and the option may be hidden. Check Settings > Accounts > Access work or school and ask your IT team.
- The wording is slightly different. Microsoft adjusts labels between updates. Look on the Your info page for any link that moves you off the Microsoft account.
- The user name is rejected. Another account on the PC already uses it. Pick a different one.
Setting up a brand-new PC is a separate problem, because Windows 11 setup pushes hard for a Microsoft account. The usual approach is to finish setup and then convert with the steps above. For setup-time options, see skipping the Microsoft account during Windows 11 setup and creating a local account while setting up Windows 11. On an older Windows 10 machine, the setup process differs: see setting up Windows 10 without a Microsoft account.
Going back to a Microsoft account
Nothing here is permanent. Open Settings > Accounts > Your info, select Sign in with a Microsoft account instead, sign in with the account, and confirm with your current local password. Windows may ask you to set up a PIN. If you want to connect a different Microsoft account than the one you used before, follow changing the Microsoft account on Windows 11, which covers what moves with each account.
Local account questions
Will my BitLocker recovery key stay in my Microsoft account?
Microsoft’s recovery key page says nothing about keys being removed when you switch, but don’t count on that account as your only copy. Save the key yourself before converting, and keep it with the reset disk.
Is a local account more private?
It keeps your Windows sign-in off Microsoft’s servers and stops settings sync. Windows still sends diagnostic data according to your choices in Settings > Privacy & security, so review those too.
Will my user folder under C:\Users get a new name?
Usually not. Converting keeps the same profile, so the folder normally keeps the name Windows gave it when the Microsoft account set the PC up, even though you now sign in with a different user name.
Next step: back up your recovery key, run the conversion, and create a password reset disk before you put the USB drive away.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.