Change user account back to local, or at least associate it with a different Microsoft account

Question

I had a local user account. I let my daughter play Minecraft one day, and Windows 11 (without my permission) automatically tied her Minecraft login (of all things!) as the Microsoft account to use for my user login. It's worth noting that I already had my own Microsoft account logged into the Microsoft store, and I did get a warning that the one being used for Minecraft was different, but as I recall that was basically all it said before it made this change to my user account.

I have tried to follow instructions online like these ones (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4096029/i-would-like-to-change-my-current-microsoft-accoun), where it says that under Settings > Account > User Info there should be a button to change to a local account, but it appears that is no longer true. See image below. The blacked-out portions are where my daughter's name appears.

I would prefer to switch back to a simple Local account. If that is not possible, I would like to change to my own Microsoft account rather than my daughter's.

Answer 1

Dear Derek Guenther,

To resolve the Issue:

1. Switch Back to a Local Account

You can revert your current Microsoft-linked account back to a local account by following these steps:

• Go to Settings > Accounts > Your Info.

If you don’t see the option “Sign in with a local account instead”, first click “Stop signing into Microsoft apps automatically”.

Close and reopen the Settings page, and the local account option should appear.

Follow the prompts to complete the switch.

Restart your computer after making the change (this step is important).

2. Switch to Your Own Microsoft Account

If you prefer to keep using a Microsoft account but want to replace your daughter’s login with your own:

• After switching to a local account (as above), go back to Settings > Accounts > Your Info.

Click “Sign in with a Microsoft account instead”.

Enter your own Microsoft account credentials.

Restart your computer to finalize the change.

I hope this helps.

Best regards,

Domic Vo

Answer 2

Hi Derek Guenther,

Thanks for reaching out here in the Microsoft Q&A. I can understand the inconvenience this issue has caused you. To help resolve this issue, please follow the steps outlined below: 

Method 1: Switch Back to a Local Account

• Press Win + R > type netplwiz > Enter.
• In the User Accounts window, select your account (DEREK).
• Look for Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer > check this box if unchecked.
• Click Apply > OK.

Method 2: Force Convert to Local Account via Command Line

1 - Create a new local admin account first (as backup):

Press Win + R > type cmd > press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open Command Prompt as admin and run:

net user /add TempAdmin *  
net localgroup administrators TempAdmin /add

2 - Sign out and log into TempAdmin

3 - Now demote the Microsoft-linked account to local:

Open Command Prompt as admin again and run

net user "DEREK" /domain:no

Method 3: Registry Hack to Reveal Hidden Options

• Press Win + R > type regedit > Enter.
• Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
• Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named BlockMicrosoftAccount. > set its value to 0.
• Restart your PC.
• Check Settings > Accounts > Your Info again - the option to switch to local should appear.

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support to view the article.

Method 4: Create a New Local Admin Account:

Microsoft has made this more difficult in recent updates, but you can still:

• Open Settings (Win + I) > Accounts > Family & other users.
• Add a new local account > I don't have this person's sign-in information > Add a user without a Microsoft account.
• Set a username/password and make it Administrator,
• Log into the new account.
• Delete or convert the old account from the new admin account.

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