Local Account - Switch to in Windows 8

How to Switch from a Microsoft Account to a Local Account in Windows 8 and 8.1​

   Information

If you are using a Microsoft account in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, or Windows RT 8.1, then this will show you how to switch to a local account to sign in with instead. Using a local user account, like how it was in Vista and Windows 7, your settings will not sync between the PCs you use.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

   Note

Microsoft account:

• You can use your @outlook.com or any email address and password to sign in to Windows 8.
• When you sign in with a Microsoft account, your PC is connected to the cloud.
• Your friends’ contact info and statuses are automatically up to date from your Hotmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other accounts.
• You can get to and share your photos, documents, and other files from SkyDrive, Facebook, Flickr, and other accounts without signing in to each one.
• Your personal settings are synced to any PC running Windows 8 that you sign in to, including your themes, language preferences, browser favorites, and apps.
• You can get apps in the Windows Store and use them on any PC running Windows 8 that you sign in to.
• Easily reacquire your Metro style apps on multiple Windows 8 PCs. The app’s settings and last-used state persist across all your Windows 8 PCs.
• You can associate the most commonly used Windows settings to your user account. In this way, the saved settings are available when you sign in to your account on any Windows 8 PC. So your PC will be set up just the way you are used to.
• You can also save time with sign-in credentials, because now the same credentials are available for the different apps and websites you use and you can easily get back into them without having to enter credentials every time.
• You can automatically sign in to apps and services that use Windows Live ID for authentication.

Local account:

• You use a user name (and password if you want one) to sign in to Windows 8.
• A local user account gives you access to only the PC it's on. You will need a separate user account created on each PC you use.
• None of your settings will be synced between the PCs you use, and you won't get the benefits of connecting your PC to the cloud.
• You will not be able to use any modern apps that use a Microsoft service that require you to be signed in to a Microsoft account.

Here's How:

1. If you have not aleady, sign in to your Microsoft account that you want to switch to a local account in Windows 8.

2. Do either step 3, 4, or 5 below for which way you would like to use.

3. Open the Control Panel (icons view), click/tap on the User Accounts icon, click/tap on the Make changes to my account in PC settings link, and go to step 4 or 5 below. (see screenshot below)

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4. If you have Windows 8 or Windows RT, open PC settings, click/tap on Users on the left side, click/tap on Switch to a local account on the right side, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)

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5. If you have Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1, open PC settings, click/tap on Accounts on the left side. (see screenshot below)

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A) Click/tap on Your account on the left side of "Accounts", click/tap on Disconnect under your Microsoft account display name at the top on the right side, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below)​

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6. Enter your Microsoft account's password, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: This will be the same password for your email address.

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7. Type in a user name, password, and password hint that you want for your local account, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)

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8. Click/tap on Sign out and finish. (see screenshot below)

   Note

This will sign you out of your Microsoft account, and take you to the lock screen to sign in to your new local account now instead.

If you get the error below after clicking on the Sign out and finish button, then make sure that the Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant service is enabled and set to be running. Afterwards, try switching your account again.

"We're sorry, but something went wrong. Your Microsoft account wasn't changed to a local account. Code: 0x80004005"

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9. Sign in to your new local user account. (see screenshot below)

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10. You have now switched to a local user account to use to sign in Windows 8 with now.



That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Switch from a Local Account to a Microsoft Account in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Allow to Block "Microsoft Accounts" in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Change a User Account Type in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Add a New User Account in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Close Your Microsoft Account
• How to Create a Password for a User Account in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Change a User Account Name in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Change Email Address of Your "Microsoft Account" in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Add or Remove Aliases for your Microsoft Account
• Fix Microsoft Account Issues in Windows 8 with "Microsoft Accounts Troubleshooter"

 

[Runner23]

I unknowingly messed something and now I can't switch back to local account. When I click on "make changes to my account in pc settings",nothing happens. I need help here. I don't like the windows live account. I want to switch back to local account.

 

[Brink]

Hello Runner,

What happens when you open PC settings directly in step 3 instead?

Do you have UAC set to the default setting (2nd level from top)?

 

[Runner23]

When I click on PC setiings,nothing happens. I have set UAC to 3rd level from top.

 

[Brink]

Looks like you may need to refresh Windows 8, then afterwards switch to a local user account.

 

[Runner23]

Ok man. I won't refresh it now but I will try some other way.

 

[MilesAhead]

Brink, is this the only way to get rid of that MS Password Save dialog? What I'm doing now is running Waterfox with "save passwords for sites" disabled. That kills the dialog but without the browser password save I'm getting interactions between LastPass and SessionManager AddOn. It would be simpler to use the cookies or whatever Waterfox uses. But that MS dialog is super annoying.

 

[Brink]

Hey Miles,

Sorry, but no this wouldn't help with your browser saving passwords.

http://www.eightforums.com/browsers-mail/34147-lastpass-logging-you-when-already-logged.html

 

[MilesAhead]

Hmm, the browser remembers passwords fine. But if I have that option enabled and log in for the first time on a new site, I get the MS dialog. I guess it will go away once I log into everything.. until I try a new site. Oh well.

 

[darnatl]

I am having a problem disconnecting from my SkyDrive account and reverting to my old local account in 8.1. In the tutorial above, I get stuck at step 7 above. I get the error message: "Windows is already using that name. Please enter another user name."

The user name field is already populated with my user account name. The problem, I believe is that both the SkyDrive and local account have the same name. I may be totally confused about what happened when I chose to log-in using my SkyDrive account. It looks like the local account is still there in drive C, but it does not show up as a separate user account, ie, I cannot sign out of the SkyDrive account and just sign into my old local account.

Am I missing something here? Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[malus]

Okay. So I was also tricked into signing in with live account as many other. I also managed to revert it to local account following the tutorial, however, now Windows 8.1 doesn't let me to sign in essential metro apps (Mail, People, Calendar) and forces me once again to sign in with live account. Is this normal now, or is it only happening to me? Is there a way to bypass it?

 

[Brink]

Hello Malus, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Yes, that's normal.

Apps that use a Microsoft service such as those require that you be signed in to Windows 8/8.1 with a Microsoft account to be able to open and use.

Think of it like this, you can't have an Outlook email account (service) without also having a Microsoft account since a Microsoft account is what is used to sign in to your Outlook email with. That's how it works with the other apps that use a Microsoft service.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[malus]

But how comes it was possible before? I used Mail App on Windows 8 (prior to 8.1 update) and only had a local account.
I doubt live account is used for anything in Mail app (when it comes to other email providers) except for checking if there is one when signing in.
I bet there is a way to bypass it.

For instance, just few days ago before I updated to Windows 8, I was using yahoo and gmail account in Metro Mail App, and only had local account. Only after updating to 8.1, I lost the ability.

What has live account to do with yahoo and gmail? In settings it is clear that the mail app is contacting yahoo and gmail servers directly. It makes no sense for demanding a live account for that.

 

[Brink]

The Mail app has been updated in Windows 8.1, and now requires a Microsoft account to use.

Using email accounts over POP on Windows 8.1 and Windows RT 8.1 - Microsoft Windows Help

Review: In Windows 8.1, Mail is finally usable on tablets and desktops | Ars Technica

 

[malus]

Yeah. I get that. But why!? What's the point?

Regarding the links, I don't really care about POP, since all the services I use are IMAP anyway. I just don't want to be forced to do redundant things. And as for the second link, the Mail App in Windows 8.1 is as crappy as the one in Windows 8. The main difference is that the new one adds another annoyance by forcing users to use live.

Don't get me wrong. I am thankful for a quick reply and a good will. I just don't get this MS live account nonsense.

 

[Brink]

I understand how you feel.

It's all about everything being able to be synced to all PCs and devices that you sign in to with the same Microsoft account. The Microsoft account is what allows that to happen.

 

[malus]

That is a good point, but it is still no reason to force it.
Anyways, thank you. At least this is now clear. Hopefully I will find a way to bypass the check.
Sooner or later it will get fixed, since community fixes what MS does bad.
If someone has a workaround already, I'm all ears.
Until then, I'm using dedicated email provider apps.
Cheers!

 

[darnatl]

Brink, thanks for your reply. I have read the tutorial in its entirety several times. The specific problem I am having is with the account names. I'm sure I could create a new local account successfully. However, I rather be able to access my old local account. Is that possible? If I enter the name of my old local account, it tells me the name is already in use and to pick another user name.

 

[Brink]

I am having a problem disconnecting from my SkyDrive account and reverting to my old local account in 8.1. In the tutorial above, I get stuck at step 7 above. I get the error message: "Windows is already using that name. Please enter another user name."

The user name field is already populated with my user account name. The problem, I believe is that both the SkyDrive and local account have the same name. I may be totally confused about what happened when I chose to log-in using my SkyDrive account. It looks like the local account is still there in drive C, but it does not show up as a separate user account, ie, I cannot sign out of the SkyDrive account and just sign into my old local account.

Am I missing something here? Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Brink, thanks for your reply. I have read the tutorial in its entirety several times. The specific problem I am having is with the account names. I'm sure I could create a new local account successfully. However, I rather be able to access my old local account. Is that possible? If I enter the name of my old local account, it tells me the name is already in use and to pick another user name.

Hello Darnatl, and welcome to Eight Forums.

I'm sorry that I missed your original post.

I'm not sure what you mean by your old local account. Do you currently already have a separate local account on your PC with that user name, and a separate Microsoft account?

If so, then you would not be able to switch the separate Microsoft account to be a local account using the name of an already existing separate local account.

 

[darnatl]

I updated from Windows 8 home edition to Windows 8.1 home. By old local account, I am referring to the local account I set up for the original windows 8 setup. When I updated to 8.1, I chose to use a Microsoft account to login. While I recognize the benefit, I don't think it is right for me at this time.

For example, my windows 8 local account user name was "John Doe." When I updated to 8.1, I chose to login as JD@hotmail.com with John Doe as the user name. If I try to disconnect from the MS account, the user name section of the screen in step 7 of your tutorial is automatically populated with "John Doe." When I enter a password and hit enter, it tells me to pick another user name as "John Doe" is already in use.

Maybe I am wrongly assuming the user account listed in explorer is my previous 8.0 user account. In explorer, the expanded file tree shows: Desktop/Homegroup/John Doe; Desktop/John Doe; Desktop/This PC/Windows/Users/John Doe (and Default, Default.migrated, Guest, Public). However, currently I am unable to switch to any other accounts. If I go to Settings/Power, the only options I see is hibernate, shut down, restart.

Maybe I am just having a brain fart. In the tutorial, I see your user account associated with MS is "Shawn Brink." In step 7, you create a new local user account named "Brink." After you disconnect from your MS account and login locally as "Brink," are you then able to switch to "Shawn Brink" as a local account?