how to change microsoft accounts on my windows 8 computer

He also wrote the USA's most-saved article of 2021, according to Pocket.Ĭhris was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Beyond the web, his work has appeared in the print edition of The New York Times (September 9, 2019) and in PCWorld's print magazines, specifically in the August 2013 and July 2013 editions, where his story was on the cover. With over a decade of writing experience in the field of technology, Chris has written for a variety of publications including The New York Times, Reader's Digest, IDG's PCWorld, Digital Trends, and MakeUseOf. Chris has personally written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times-and that's just here at How-To Geek.

If you want to encrypt files with a local user account, you'll need the BitLocker encryption feature that's only available on Professional editions of Windows.Ĭhris Hoffman is the former Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. People would forget their passwords and complain to Microsoft that they can't access their files. Windows won't encrypt your hard drive if you sign in with a local user account. That's because Windows 10 will upload a recovery key to your Microsoft account online, ensuring average PC users who forget their passwords can still access their files. Windows only activates the encryption if you sign in with a Microsoft account. When you sign in with a Microsoft account on a new PC that supports device encryption, it will automatically encrypt your hard drive to protect your data. Anyone who rips out your PC's hard drive won't be able to access your files without the key.

Related: How to Enable Full-Disk Encryption on Windows 10ĭevice encryption, a feature introduced with Windows 8.1 that's still present on Windows 10, also requires you sign in with a Microsoft account.

How to change microsoft accounts on my windows 8 computer