If Microsoft had their way, you’d never be able to make a local Windows account again.However, as much as Microsoft wants that to be a reality, it never will be.Here’s why the fight for local Windows accounts is more important than you think.
Microsoft literally can't get rid of local accounts without a lot of unnecessary work Legacy and military systems force Microsoft to keep local accounts around You might think that Microsoft wants to get rid of local accounts in every sector—and you're probably right, but they can’t.While Microsoft is trying to force consumer users to link up an online account, there are plenty of systems where that’s simply not possible.For example, many medical facilities have computers that never touch the internet for various reasons from patient record confidentiality to just not having networking in that portion of an old building.
Microsoft has to still have a way for those systems to be activated and set up.The military uses a lot of computers, and some of those systems have to be what’s called “air gapped,” which means they have no network connection at all.Top secret files could be stored on the system and it’s a secluded system away from everything else to ensure tip top security.
Related Here's the Easiest Way to Disable Windows 11's Microsoft Account Requirement Don't get pushed into using a Microsoft account if you don't want one.Posts 4 By Nick Lewis In these scenarios (and more), Microsoft still has to have a provision to allow for local accounts.While they could, technically, create two entirely different codebases and distributions for this purpose, they won’t.
Microsoft is known for keeping old code around for various reasons, and they already bundle all Windows 11 Pro features into a standard Windows 11 installer, with the only differentiator being the license key that’s entered.So, while Microsoft could have a separate professional operating system, they never have and likely never will—meaning they have to keep local accounts in Windows whether they like it or not.Microsoft wants you to forget local accounts exist—you shouldn't Don’t let Microsoft tell you what to do (or remember) While Microsoft has to keep local accounts around, they don’t want you to remember that.
Microsoft is doing everything they can to try and make people forget that local accounts exist.In fact, Microsoft has been playing whack-a-mole lately, patching exploits that people often use to bypass online accounts to try and force them into local accounts.Just because Microsoft wants you to forget local accounts exist doesn’t mean you should.
The fight for local accounts doesn’t need to end just because a big company wants it to.Why? Because your privacy matters.Your voice matters.
You, as the consumer, matter, regardless of what the big company says.Local accounts matter because it puts you in control of your data, not a big company Microsoft shouldn’t be in control of your privacy—you should be So, why does Microsoft want you to forget that local accounts exist? Money.You see, when Microsoft ties your computer to an online account, they can keep better track of your usage.
They’re able to do things like try to force you a Microsoft 365 plan or put all of your files in OneDrive without you knowing, and then try to make you upgrade.Microsoft makes these upgrades easy and painless because you already have a credit card tied to your online account most likely, so it just takes the click of a button to sign up.Microsoft is also trying to build their Copilot AI, and, while they could train it on anonymized data, it’s better to be able to link it across services and platforms.
When you’re logged into an online account, Microsoft is able to easily see things like your data and search history.They can also check your app usage and other information to fuel their ad networks.Essentially, Microsoft needs to collect this data and tie it to an account, but they can’t do that if you’re using a local account.
Sure, their telemetry still gathers data on you, but it’s completely anonymized.If you own two Windows computers, they have no idea they belong to the same person if you use local accounts.This is great for you, the consumer, but not for them.
The problem with Microsoft’s privacy practices are they’re often opt out, and not opt in.You should be able to opt into what data you to share with Microsoft, instead of having to opt out of everything—and that becomes a lot harder to do when you’re tied into an online account instead of a local account.Related The Overlooked Windows 11 Privacy Upgrade That Just Works Unencrypted DNS exposes every site you visit.
Here's how to encrypt it to keep your browsing private from ISPs and prying eyes.Posts 3 By Rich Hein At the end of the day, Microsoft’s goal is to extract as much data as they can from you by whatever means necessary.If that means making local accounts extremely difficult to obtain, Microsoft is going to do that, even if it’s anti-consumer.
So, don’t let the fight die.Keep pushing for local accounts, and keep finding ways around the blocks that Microsoft puts in your way.
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