Change Microsoft account to Local account for logon

ricksavery · 25 Mar 2018

Hello
new to these forums and to Windows 10 in general - Windows 7 reasonably OK with.

I bought a new laptop running Windows 10 Home 64 bit, and the initial setup left me with my Microsoft account and password as my sign in and my User folder as the first 5 letters of my email address. Luckily this isn't too comic but would have been nice to have had options - maybe i did and just didn't see them.

Anyway, I am concerned about logging on when there is no internet so would like to sign in with a local account (not created yet) that has a blank password, and, ideally have the User folder with a better name.

I have not really installed anything that i cant easily re-install, so i was wondering if it would be best if I just re-installed Windows 10 and set up the log in as a local account that i can name, with a blank password?

If so, how would that be done please? My USB recovery drive that i made, would presumably restore the account that i use at present (ie the Microsoft one)? I have downloaded the Windows 10 iso file, but would that have to be put onto a separate USB stick or what?

Any help or advice really appreciated

Thanks

Rick

Kyhi · 25 Mar 2018

Add Local Account or Microsoft Account in Windows 10

alphanumeric · 25 Mar 2018

You can sign in with a Microsoft Account with no Internet.

If you do your first log in (setup) with a Local account, your user folder will get that name. And if you then switch to a Microsoft account, it keeps the original local account name.

ThrashZone · 25 Mar 2018

Hi,
Install without internet and a local account is default
Install is three times faster too :)

NavyLCDR · 25 Mar 2018

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Install without internet and a local account is default
Install is three times faster too :)

But there is absolutely NO need to reinstall Windows in this situation. Unless the user wants to get rid of the extra bloatware added by the computer manufacturer.

alphanumeric · 25 Mar 2018

One fix in this situation, is to just create a new local user with the name you want. Make sure its an administrator and not a standard user. Then log in and delete the other account with the screwy folder name. Copy over your pictures docs etc to the new account before you delete it though. Then switch to a Microsoft account, if you want. No reinstalling Windows etc. There are likely other ways to change the user folder name, just be aware they could potentially mess some things up.

Kari · 25 Mar 2018

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Install without internet and a local account is default
Install is three times faster too :)

Could you please explain this a bit more?

When preparing deployment images, I always install Windows 10 on reference machine without Internet connection, only connecting network when I've restarted to Audit Mode and done all the modifications possible to do offline.

I have never (read: never ever!) noticed significant difference. For instance, as I always use a Hyper-V VM as reference machine to build Windows images, comparing these no network installations to normal Hyper-V VM installations (connected to network) I also do quite often, both methods take on my mediocre host machine between 20 and 22 minutes.

According to you, the no network installations on a VM should take up to 15 minutes less.

I would be interested to get any facts from you to support your statement, as I am always keen to learn new stuff.

Kari

cereberus · 26 Mar 2018

ThrashZone said:

Hi,
Install without internet and a local account is default
Install is three times faster too :)

It is true installing without internet can be faster as some but certainly not all pcs seem to hang at getting initial updates for ages. Three times seems rather excessive though, but I have certainly see an additional 10 to 20 minutes.

ricksavery · 26 Mar 2018

Thanks everyone who has replied to my original post.

I am not able to even start getting into the 'three times faster' debate as my experience is a gnat's above zero :)

From what i have gleaned from replies, and what I've read via links, I should be OK if I create a new, local user with the name I want (and a blank password), sign in with this user, then delete the Microsoft account, along with the user profile folders that went with it (the name is the first 5 letters of my email address - but you knew that!).

If this is so, what I would then like to do is re-create my Microsoft account but have it linked to the new local account. Does this make sense?

I have removed most of the rubbish that comes with a new laptop - that's not fair, but I mainly mean the Office 365 trial and McAfee trial - so don't want to re-install Windows if I don't have to.

I what I have proposed above is nonsense, could I achieve the same by doing a factory reset and signing in for the first time with the local account I want?

Apologies if this sounds like Im asking the same question again, Im just trying to get it absolutely straight in my head before I attempt this. Appreciate your help with all this.

Rick

alphanumeric · 26 Mar 2018

Once you create the new local account, and delete the old Microsoft account; there is nothing stopping you from switching the local to a Microsoft account, and reusing the account info you just deleted. Hope that makes sense.
Yes, doing a factory reset and logging in first time with a local account will do what you want. It will erase everything so backup what you don't want to loose to external media first.