how to stop pcs sharing the same Microsoft account from syncing data

To keep two Windows 11 PCs that use the same Microsoft account from sharing/syncing data, turn off sync per product and, where needed, per device.

1. Turn off Windows account sync (where available)
   1. Go to https://account.microsoft.com/privacy and sign in.
   2. Under Privacy settings in our products, find Sync your Microsoft account with Windows.
   3. Set the toggle to Off for the PC that should not sync Windows settings with the account.
2. Stop Microsoft Edge from syncing between PCs On each PC, configure Edge separately. a. Turn off or limit sync types
   1. Open Microsoft Edge.
   2. Select Settings and more (⋯) > Settings > Profiles > Sync.
   3. Turn Off the toggles for all data types that should not roam (e.g., History, Favorites, Passwords, Settings, Open tabs, Collections).
   b. Completely stop Edge sync and sign-out
   1. In Edge, go to Settings and more > Settings > Profiles.
   2. Select Sign out to stop syncing data with the Microsoft account on that PC.
   3. If desired, before signing out you can clear synced data:
      • Go to Privacy, search, and services > Clear browsing data.
      • Clear the data while signed in and syncing to remove it from all synced devices (this affects every device that is still syncing).
3. Stop OneDrive/SharePoint/Teams file sync on a PC If OneDrive is syncing work or personal files across both PCs, stop sync on the PC where files should not appear. a. Stop syncing specific SharePoint/Teams libraries
   1. Select the blue OneDrive cloud icon in the Windows taskbar notification area (use Show hidden icons if needed).
   2. Select Settings (gear icon) > Settings.
   3. On the Account tab, find the list of syncing sites.
   4. For any library you do not want on this PC, select Stop sync next to that site.
      • Copies of those files remain on the PC until manually deleted.
   b. Unlink OneDrive from the PC (to stop all sync)
   1. Open the OneDrive settings as above.
   2. On the Account tab, choose Unlink this PC (if available) to stop all OneDrive sync for that account on this device.
   3. After unlinking, local OneDrive folders can be deleted if they are no longer needed; files remain in the cloud.
4. Turn off Visual Studio settings sync (if used on both PCs) If Visual Studio is installed on both machines and uses the same account, disable synchronized settings on the PC where settings should stay local.
   1. In Visual Studio, go to Tools > Options.
   2. Navigate to Environment > Accounts.
   3. Clear Synchronize settings across devices and installs on this machine (enabling this may overwrite local settings).
   4. In Visual Studio 2022 version 17.2 and later, clearing this prevents that installation from syncing with other installs on the same device and across devices.
5. Consider using different accounts or a local account Even with sync disabled, using separate accounts is the cleanest separation:
   • On the personal PC, switch to a local account or a different Microsoft account.
   • On the business PC, keep the work-focused Microsoft account.
   To move away from a Microsoft account on one PC, create and use a local account, then remove the Microsoft account from Settings > Accounts once everything is migrated.

References:

• Your Microsoft account, your data, your choices
• User data and privacy in Microsoft Edge
• Sign in to sync Microsoft Edge across devices
• Sync SharePoint and Teams files with your computer
• Synchronize Visual Studio settings across multiple computers
• Work with synced files in File Explorer