Activation helps verify that your copy of Windows is genuine and hasn’t been used on more devices than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow.
When installing Windows 11, the digital license associates itself with your device’s hardware.
Linking your Microsoft account with your digital license will allow automatic activation once your PC is connected to the internet and you sign in to Windows 11 with your Microsoft account as an administrator.
If you make significant hardware changes on your device, such as replacing your motherboard, Windows will no longer find a license that matches your device, and you’ll need to reactivate Windows to get it up and running. To activate Windows, you’ll need either a digital license or a product key. Linking your Microsoft account with your digital license enables you to reactivate Windows using the Activation troubleshooter whenever you make a significant hardware change.
This tutorial will show you how to link your Microsoft account to your Windows 11 digital license.
When you sign in to a Windows 10 or Windows 11 device with your Microsoft account, that device will get added and linked to your Microsoft account.
When you add a device to your Microsoft account, you can access online features for your device from your Microsoft account devices page at Microsoft.
If you no longer use a device or sign in to the device with your Microsoft account, you can remove the device from your Microsoft account devices list to unlink it.
This tutorial will show you how to remove a Windows 10 or Windows 11 device from your Microsoft account.
Having different accounts on a shared PC lets multiple people use the same device, all while giving everyone their own sign-in info, plus access to their own files, browser favorites, and desktop settings.
You can add a local user account (an offline account) or Microsoft account for a user to sign in to the PC with.
Signing in to PCs with a Microsoft account lets you:
Signing in with a local account means:
When you create a new account, it will be a standard user by default. You can change the account type to be an administrator if wanted.
This tutorial will show you how to add a Microsoft account as a user on the PC in Windows 11.
You can use OneDrive to sync files between your computer and the cloud, so you can get to your files from anywhere – your computer, your mobile device, and even through the OneDrive website at OneDrive.com. If you add, change, or delete a file or folder in your OneDrive folder, the file or folder is added, changed, or deleted on the OneDrive website and vice versa. You can work with your synced files directly in File Explorer and access your files even when you’re offline. Whenever you’re online, any changes that you or others make will sync automatically.
You can also back up your important folders (your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders) on your Windows PC with OneDrive folder backup syncing, so they’re protected and available on other devices.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off OneDrive folder sync for your Microsoft account across all your Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices you sign in with the same Microsoft account.
When Windows backup is turned on, Windows backs up the settings you choose across all your Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices that you’ve signed in to with your Microsoft account.
If you turn on Remember my apps, Windows will remember the apps you have installed and help you restore them from Microsoft Store on your new devices. This setting is not available for work or school accounts, and Windows does not remember your apps for work or school accounts.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off Remember my apps for your Microsoft account across all your Windows 11 devices you sign in with the same Microsoft account.
When Windows backup is turned on, Windows backs up the settings you choose across all your Windows 11 devices that you’ve signed in to with your Microsoft account.
You can back up preferences including passwords, language, and other Windows settings. If you turn on Other Windows settings, Windows also syncs some device settings (for things like printers and mouse options), File Explorer settings, and notification preferences.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off Remember my preferences for your Microsoft account across all your Windows 11 devices you sign in with the same Microsoft account.
Windows 11 makes it easy to add the Microsoft accounts or Work or school accounts you use for your apps in one place so you can sign in to your favorite apps easier and faster.
When you add an account in this central location in Settings, that account will be a listed account available to select to sign in to an app with. This can be handy so you no longer have to manually add the account for each individual app you want to sign in to with it.
This tutorial will show you how to add and remove accounts used by other apps to sign in with for your account in Windows 11.
You can sign in to Windows 11 with a local account or a Microsoft account. However, you can easily switch between using a local account or a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows 11.
Signing in to Windows 11 with a Microsoft account lets you:
Signing in to Windows 11 with a local account means:
This tutorial will show you how to switch to a Microsoft account from a local account to sign in to Windows 11 with instead.
You can sign in to Windows 11 with a local account or a Microsoft account. However, you can easily switch between using a local account or a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows 11.
Signing in to Windows 11 with a Microsoft account lets you:
Signing in to Windows 11 with a local account means:
This tutorial will show you how to switch to a local account from a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows 11 with instead.
You can keep your device even more secure by removing passwords when signing in to Windows 11 with Microsoft accounts on your device. All the places on your device where you use your Microsoft account and password (even your apps and browsers) will automatically switch to modern multifactor authentication with Windows Hello Face, Fingerprint, or PIN.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts for passwordless sign-in on your Windows 11 device.
If Microsoft Edge detects SSL connection timeouts, certificate errors, or other network issues that may be caused by a captive portal (for example, a Wi-Fi network at a hotel or airport), Microsoft Edge sends a request to http://edge.microsoft.com/captiveportal/generate_204 and checks the response code. If the request is redirected to another URL, Microsoft Edge opens the URL in a new tab, assuming that it is a sign-in page. Requests to the captive portal detection page are a stateless service, requests are not logged, and cookies are not sent or saved. On Windows platforms, Microsoft Edge uses a Windows captive portal service. Otherwise, the Microsoft Edge captive portal service is used.
You can turn off this service with the Use a web service to help resolve navigation errors setting in Microsoft Edge.
You can also set to always enable or disable this service with the ResolveNavigationErrorsUseWebService policy.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable Use a web service to help resolve navigation errors in the Chromium based Microsoft Edge.
When you join the Windows Insider program to register your Microsoft Account (MSA) or your Azure Active Directory (AAD) account with the program, you will receive emails from the Windows Insider Program with updates and information about the program. You will also be able to set Windows 10 to start getting Insider Preview builds to get all the new features that are on the way and help Microsoft make Windows 10 even better.
This tutorial will show you how to join the Windows Insider Program to register your Microsoft Account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) account to the program.
When you join the Windows Insider program to register your Microsoft Account (MSA) or your Azure Active Directory (AAD) account with the program, you will receive emails from the Windows Insider Program with updates and information about the program. You will also be able to set Windows 10 to start getting Insider Preview builds to get all the new features that are on the way and help Microsoft make Windows 10 even better.
If you set Windows 10 to stop getting Insider preview builds, you will still continue to receive emails from the Windows Insider program. If you would like to stop receiving emails from the Windows Insider Program, you will need to unregister your Microsoft Account (MSA) or your Azure Active Directory (AAD) account associated with the Windows Insider Program.
This tutorial will show you how to leave the Windows Insider Program to unregister your Microsoft Account (MSA) or Azure Active Directory (AAD) account from the program.
Microsoft has adopted the Chromium open source project in the development of Microsoft Edge on the desktop to create better web compatibility. This new Microsoft Edge runs on the same Chromium web engine as the Google Chrome browser, offering you best in class web compatibility and performance.
Microsoft has also introduced a new Microsoft Edge logo that is designed to capture the waves of innovation that they plan to bring to you.
Currently, the new Chromium based Microsoft Edge web browser is only available to download and install as a Microsoft Edge Insider. General availability to the public is expected to be on January 15, 2020 in more than 90 languages.
The new Microsoft Edge will be supported on all versions of Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows Server (2016 and above), Windows Server (2008 R2 to 2012 R2), and macOS.
You can sign in to Microsoft Edge to create and add a profile. You can sign in with your Microsoft account or your work/school account.
When you sign in to Microsoft Edge, you can turn on to have Microsoft Edge sync your history, favorites, passwords, and other browser data across all devices you are signed in to Microsoft Edge with the same account.
When you sign in to Microsoft Edge, you will also be signed in automatically to other Microsoft websites for the same account.
This tutorial will show you how to sign in and sign out of the Chromium based Microsoft Edge with a Microsoft account or work/school account.
For improved security and a more seamless sign-in experience, you can now enable passwordless sign-in for Microsoft accounts on your Windows 10 device starting with Windows 10 build 18936.
Enabling passwordless sign-in will switch all Microsoft accounts on your Windows 10 device to only allow modern authentication with Windows Hello Face, Fingerprint, or PIN.
Enabling passwordless sign-in will remove the password and picture password sign-in options for all Microsoft accounts on the sign-in screen and in Accounts > Sign-in options > Settings.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable passwordless sign-in to only allow Windows Hello sign-in for all Microsoft accounts on your Windows 10 device.
Search Windows and the web from the taskbar to find help, apps, files, settings—you name it. You can also get quick answers from the web—like weather, stock prices, currency conversion, and much more—and get to websites faster by using links in the preview pane.
Cortana and Search has been separated starting with Windows 10 version 1903.
My search history allows Windows Search to improve on-device searches collecting and using your search history from devices that you sign-in with your Microsoft account.
Search activity appears only if you:
This tutorial will show you how to clear your search history on Bing.com used to improve on-device searches for your account in Windows 10.
Search Windows and the web from the taskbar to find help, apps, files, settings—you name it. You can also get quick answers from the web—like weather, stock prices, currency conversion, and much more—and get to websites faster by using links in the preview pane.
Cortana and Search has been separated starting with Windows 10 version 1903.
My device history allows Windows Search to improve on-device searches by collecting and using your app, settings, and other history from devices that you sign-in with your Microsoft account.
This tutorial will show you how to clear your device history used to improve on-device searches for your account in Windows 10.
Search Windows and the web from the taskbar to find help, apps, files, settings—you name it. You can also get quick answers from the web—like weather, stock prices, currency conversion, and much more—and get to websites faster by using links in the preview pane.
Cortana and Search has been separated starting with Windows 10 version 1903.
My device history allows Windows Search to improve on-device searches by collecting and using your app, settings, and other history from devices that you sign-in with your Microsoft account.
My search history allows Windows Search to improve on-device searches collecting and using your search history from devices that you sign-in with your Microsoft account.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off using your device history and search history to improve on-device searches for your account in Windows 10.
Since April 2018, you’ve had Timeline on your Windows 10 PC. It aims to end the frustration we’ve all encountered digging through emails and file folders for a document we just can’t find. Timeline makes it way easier to find what matters to you across your devices. You can also pick up what you were doing — even if it was on your iOS or Android device — on your Windows 10 PC when you’re ready to get back to it.
Now with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, your PC’s timeline is available on your phone, so you can scroll back in time to find the files and websites you were using on your phone, computer and tablet.
Basically, you can pick up where you left off, wherever you left off. Go back and forth in time by easily scrolling back to find things you were working on earlier today or earlier this week. Share or remove activities whenever you want from a specific day or hour.
Timeline shows 7 days of past activities, including activities done on a tablet and laptop when users are signed into their Microsoft accounts.
Timeline is now available in preview on Android phone via the Microsoft Launcher app and will be coming soon to preview for iPhone.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off Timeline on Your feed in the Microsoft Launcher app on your Android phone.
If your desktop, laptop, tablet, or Surface is lost or stolen, use the Find my device feature to locate and lock it remotely.
Find my device uses your device’s location data to help you find your device if you lose it. Find my device allows an administrator of a Windows portable device, such as a laptop or tablet, to identify the location of that device from account.microsoft.com/devices. To use this feature, the administrator needs to turn on the location setting for the device and sign in to Windows through a Microsoft account. This feature will work for the administrator even if other users have denied access to location for all their apps. When the administrator tries to locate the device, users will see a notification in the notification area on the taskbar.
If you locate your device and want to prevent anyone from using it or seeing your files, you can lock it remotely.
When you remotely lock your Windows 10 Device, it will sign out any active users and disable local users. Administrators with permissions will still have access to sign in to and unlock the device, but unauthorized access will be blocked. Your device will be locked and location tracking services will be enabled. The lock screen will show a message you created. You will get emails for device update sent to your Microsoft account email address.
This tutorial will show you how to remotely lock your Windows 10 computer online using the Find my device Microsoft service.