How to change the Microsoft Account owner for my Windows PC without Microsoft account access

Question

Hello, I am divorced and my Windows 11 Home PC is setup with my ex-wife's Microsoft Account. I do not have her password and don't want to involve her. She removed my PC from her list of devices online. I tried to change my PC to a local account but that requires me to log into her account.
Is there a way to do this without having to rebuild my PC from scratch? I would prefer to not see her name each time I log in.

Please note, I can log into my PC, it is just the online account I can't change.
Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting question on Microsoft Windows forum!

Based on your issue description, Since you can log into your PC, but are trying to switch from your ex-wife's Microsoft account to a local account without her password, here's a suggested method you can try to avoid a full rebuild the PC from scratch.

First of all, it is crucial important to make sure the following points to be executed before proceeding to that suggested method.

• Back up your important data: It is always wise to back up your documents, photos, and any other critical files to an external drive or cloud storage before making significant system changes.
• Ensure you have another administrator account: If you're the only user on the PC, you'll need to create a new administrator account first. This is crucial because you'll be removing the current account associated with your ex-wife. The followings are the steps for the suggested method.

1.Create a New Local Administrator Account:

• Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
• Under "Other users," click Add account.
• Click "I don't have this person's sign-in information."
• Click "Add a user without a Microsoft account."
• Enter a username (e.g., your name) and a strong password for this new local account. Remember this password!
• Once created, click on the new account you just made and then click Change account type.
• Change the "Account type" from "Standard User" to Administrator, then click OK.

2.Sign Out of Your Current Account:

• Click the Start button, then click on your current user icon (likely showing your ex-wife's name).
• Select Sign out.

3.Sign Out of Your Current Account:

• Click the Start button, then click on your current user icon (likely showing your ex-wife's name).
• Select Sign out.

4.Transfer Your Files (if necessary):

• Once logged into the new administrator account, you'll need to transfer any personal files from your old profile to your new one.
• Open File Explorer.
• Navigate to *C:\Users* and you should see folders for both your ex-wife's account (the one you were using) and your new account.
• Open your ex-wife's account folder. You'll likely need to grant permission to access it.
• Copy the contents of folders like "Documents," "Downloads," "Pictures," "Videos," "Desktop," etc., from her old user profile to the corresponding folders in your new user profile (**C:\Users\YourNewUsername**).
• Do NOT copy the AppData folder unless you know exactly what you're doing, as this can cause issues.

5.Remove Your Ex-Wife's Old Account:

• Crucial: Ensure you have copied everything you need from the old profile.
• Log into your new local administrator account.
• Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
• Under "Other users," find the account linked to your ex-wife's Microsoft account (it will likely show her email address).
• Click on that account, then click Remove.
• A warning will appear: "Are you sure you want to remove this account and delete all data associated with it? All data will be deleted." Click "Delete account and data".
• This permanently removes her account and all files stored specifically in her user profile folder from the PC. This is irreversible.

You can refer to the below article for more information.

• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/manage-user-accounts-in-windows-104dc19f-6430-4b49-6a2b-e4dbd1dcdf32

Hope the above information is helpful!