Create a New User Account in Windows 8.1

One can create a new user account in Windows 8.1 in 2 ways

1. Creating a Microsoft Account
2. Creating a Local Account

When you sign in to your PC with a Microsoft account, you connect your PC to the people, files, and devices you care about. As such Microsoft advises to create and use your Microsoft Account to sign in to Windows.

Create a Microsoft Account in Windows 8.1

To create Microsoft account, move the cursor to the lower right-hand corner of your computer screen, click ‘Settings’ and then ‘Change PC settings’.

Next, click Accounts, and then choose ‘Other accounts’. Click Add an account.

Enter the account info for this person to sign in to Windows. If the person you’re adding already has a Microsoft account, enter it. If the person you’re adding doesn’t have a Microsoft account, click Sign up for a new email address.

Follow the instructions to finish setting up the account.

In the end, you should see a screen like the one shown below. It indicates the process of signing up has been completed successfully.

Create Local Account in Windows 8.1

If you observe, Microsoft added some new security features for accounts. The features though good and recommended, leaves little scope for personal choice. They force you to create a Microsoft Account first, giving it more preference over local account. There appears no apparent way to move past Microsoft Account screen, especially when you are interested in creating just a local account.

Microsoft warns – If you create a local account, you’ll need a separate account for each PC you use. None of your settings will be synced between the Windows 8.1 PCs you use, and you won’t get the benefits of connecting your PC to your files, settings, apps, and services online in the cloud and accessible from anywhere. You also won’t be able to download apps from the Windows Store without a Microsoft account.

A simple question darted my mind – is there any possible way to sign-in without a Microsoft account? Certainly, there is! And here’s the underlying trick.

Assuming you are on the ‘How this Person will Sign Up’ Screen, look for the link “Sign in without a Microsoft account.”

On being directed to a new screen, hit ‘Local Account’ tab.

Now, with the procedure to create your Microsoft Account skipped, you can go ahead and create a local account, similar to the one you created in previous Windows version. Enter your local account credentials and you should be done in seconds. You will have created a new Local account that you can log into instead of your Microsoft account.

Users not quite familiar with Windows 8.1 might got caught by this changed log in process and despite reservations and end up creating a Microsoft account.