Sign in with
a Microsoft account
If you signed in with your Microsoft account
when you set up Windows, hooray!
If not, that's OK—you can sign in any time.
And if you're not quite sure what a Microsoft account is, read on.
What it is
Have 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 email account at Outlook.com and make that your new Microsoft account.
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. Read more about the
benefits of Microsoft account.
How to sign in
1.
Select the Start 
button,
then select Settings > Accounts > Your account.
button,
then select Settings > Accounts > Your account.
2.
Select Sign in
with a Microsoft account instead.
3.
Follow the prompts to
switch to a Microsoft account. You may need to verify your identity by entering
a confirmation code.
Your local account will switch to your
Microsoft account. The next time you sign in to Windows, use your Microsoft
account name and password. Your apps and files will not be affected.
If you find that you're having issues signing
in, or if you forgot the password for your Microsoft account, the Microsoft account
FAQ may have some helpful
pointers.
Set
up accounts
If you plan to share your PC with other
people, consider adding accounts for them. It's always nice to share, and that
way your friends will have some personal space—including separate files,
browser favorites, and a desktop they can call their own.
Add
an account
1.
Select the Start button, then select Settings > Accounts > Your
account.
button, then select Settings > Accounts > Your
account.
2.
Select Family
& other users (or Other users, if you’re using
Windows 10 Enterprise).
3.
Under Other
users, select Add someone
else to this PC.
4.
If the person you’re adding has a Microsoft account, type their
email address, select Next,
and then select Finish.
After they sign in, their online email, photos, files, and settings will be
waiting for them.
If the person you’re adding
doesn’t have a Microsoft account, select Sign
in without a Microsoft account (it's
OK that it says "not recommended"), and then select Local account. Set their user
name, temporary password, and password hint, and then select Next > Finish.
Notes
If you want to create
an account for someone in your family, see Set up your family. Or
if you're trying to sign in with your Microsoft account, Sign in with a Microsoft
account has
some helpful pointers.
You can also find
some tips, if you're having problems adding an account, at the Microsoft account FAQ.
Set
up your family
Family makes it faster than ever to add
family members to each Windows 10 PC you sign in to with your Microsoft
account.
Family also lets adults keep kids stay
safer online. Adults in the family can see reports of kids’ online activity,
limit how long and when kids use their Windows 10 devices, set smart
limits on kids’ spending, and help make sure kids don't see inappropriate
websites, apps, or games. If you used Family Safety on an earlier version of
Windows, you’ll need to add your family members again for kids’ settings to
apply on Windows 10 devices.
Adults in the family can manage family
settings online at account.microsoft.com/family, and changes will be
applied to any Windows 10 device the child signs in to.
To set up a PC for people already in
your Microsoft family, select the Start button, then select Settings > Accounts >Family & other users.
Select their accounts to add them to this PC. The first time they sign in,
they’ll need to enter the password for their Microsoft account.
button, then select Settings > Accounts >Family & other users.
Select their accounts to add them to this PC. The first time they sign in,
they’ll need to enter the password for their Microsoft account.
Add
someone to your family
1.
On your Windows 10 PC, select the Start button, then select Settings > Accounts > Family
& other users. (You'll need to be signed in to Windows with a
Microsoft account.)
button, then select Settings > Accounts > Family
& other users. (You'll need to be signed in to Windows with a
Microsoft account.)
2.
Select Add a
family member.
3.
Select Add a
child or Add an adult.
4.
Type the email address of the person to send them an invitation
to join. If they don't have an email address, select The person I want to invite doesn’t
have an email address and
follow the directions to set up a new account.
5.
After they've accepted the email invitation, have them sign in
to Windows 10 using the same email address you sent the invitation to.
Manage
family settings
After you've added a child to your
family on Windows, here's how you manage their activity.
2.
Select the child whose settings you want to manage from the list
of children in your Family. If your kids also use Family Safety on older
versions of Windows, or My Family on older Windows phones, you’ll see them
listed per device.
3.
Choose what to turn on or change for your child's account:
·
Recent activity allows you to see what websites they've
been visiting, what apps and games they've been using, and how much time
they've been spending on their devices.
·
Web browsing lets you choose what websites your child
can and can't see.
·
Apps & games allows you to limit the apps and games
your child can download from the Windows Store. It also lets you unblock any
app or game you’ve blocked previously.
·
Screen time allows you to set the maximum amount of
time they can spend on their devices.