How to Disconnect a Windows Account From the Cloud
If you’re already using Windows 11 , that means you’ve most likely set it up with a Microsoft account, unless you’ve already checked out our guide to using a local account when setting up Windows 11 . If you’ve already set up a Microsoft account, don’t despair: you’re still not locked into using a cloud account on your computer. Instead, you can disconnect your Microsoft account from the cloud and turn it into a local account instead.
If you use this method, you won’t lose any information or data, allowing you to cut ties to various Microsoft cloud services and still get the most out of your Windows 11 PC.
How to Remove a Microsoft Account from Windows
To get started, open the Windows 11 Settings menu. You can find it by pressing the Windows keys + I or by opening the Start menu and selecting the Settings cog.
Click Account > Your Information > Sign In using a local account . Then enter a new password for your local account and confirm the change. Windows will save your changes and switch your Microsoft account to a local account that is stored directly on your PC. You can still access your Microsoft account online using the information you previously used, but your Windows 11 PC will no longer be directly linked to that account.
How to Remove a Work or School Account from Windows 11
If you’re using a school or work account, deleting them is the same.
Open Windows Settings by pressing Windows keys + I. Go to Accounts > Work or School Sharing and click Turn Off . This will remove your work or school account from Windows 11. Keep in mind that this will block any features you had access to through those accounts, such as Microsoft Teams.
Why you might want to remove your Microsoft account from Windows
Linking a Microsoft account to your Windows 11 account gives you access to a lot of extra features like Copilot and OneDrive. But if you want to use your computer more privately, disabling your account will deny Microsoft access to your data. This means you’ll lose features like cloud storage, but on the other hand, you’ll have more control over what data Microsoft can collect and share with advertisers.