Types of Windows 10 Logins and Account Types By Tom Krauser

This article discusses the types of Logins and Account types in Windows 10.

Types of Logins There are two basic types of login in Windows 10. The first type is using the Microsoft login on the web and the second type is the “local” login that users were used to in Windows 7 and before. The default is the Microsoft login which logs in through the Microsoft website if a WiFi connection is available. This requires an email address (does not have to be a Microsoft email address) and password and sets up a Microsoft account.

If you ever used Outlook.com, Hotmail, Office 365, OneDrive, Skype, Xbox, or Windows, the email address and password you use for any of those services is your Microsoft account. If not, it's easy to create a free account with your email address or phone number at account.microsoft.com.

Your Microsoft account gives you access to apps and games from the Windows Store, and lets you see your settings and other stuff across multiple Windows 10 devices. For more information see: Read more about the benefits of Microsoft account. The same login is used for all your devices with a Microsoft account whereas with local accounts each device requires a different local account for the login and the accounts are not synchronized.

A Microsoft account is required to use Cortana which works through the Microsoft account. Creating a Microsoft account also allows the user to recover their password if they forget their password. If the computer is not connected to WiFi then the Microsoft login is still functional but does not verify through the Microsoft website.

The password for a Microsoft account usually has to meet the rules for passwords on the Microsoft site to make it more secure.

To create a “local” login account, which is not the default, it takes a few extra steps in order to set up the local user account. The local account is not verified through the Microsoft website and is similar to the accounts the user has used to for all the older Windows operating systems.

To create a “local” account: Click on the Start icon or press the Windows key on the keyboard. Click the “Settings” icon (looks like a gear). Click “Accounts” then click “Family & other people”. Click “Add someone else to this PC”. Under “How will this person sign in”, do not enter an email or phone number but click “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information”. Under “Let’s create your account” at the bottom click on “Add a user without a Microsoft account”. Enter User Name desired, password, and a password hint (required) and then click Next. If no password is desired (not recommended) then leave the password fields blank. When Next is clicked the new account is created. You must log into the new account so it is actually setup and created.

New users are automatically created as a Standard account. If you want the user to be an Administrator then change to Administrator account as discussed in next section.

Account Types There are two different account types for the user. The original user is automatically created as an “Administrator” account. An Administrator has all privileges and can do anything on the computer including changing configuration settings and downloading software from the internet.

The default for all users added after the initial user is a “Standard” user. The Standard user has a lot less privileges than the Administrator and usually cannot change settings or configuration of the computer and usually cannot download programs from the internet. If a Standard user attempts to perform an operation that requires an Administrator they will be asked for an Administrator user name and password to perform that operation. Standard user accounts should be given to anyone that you do not want changing configuration or downloading programs from the internet.

It is highly recommended that there should be at least two Administrator accounts on the computer. This could be another person or you can create a second account called Admin or any name you choose. The purpose of this second account is to allow you to login as an Administrator if your primary Administrator account becomes corrupt or unusable for any reason. If you cannot login to your primary Administrator account then you have no way to get to the internet to try and fix the problem with your primary account.