In a recent update to the latest Windows 10 build dedicated to Insider members, Microsoft rolled out a new banner in which the company invites users to abandon their local account for a Microsoft profile. A first step before the pure and simple deletion of local accounts?
As you may know, Microsoft plans to abandon support for Windows 10 in 2025. Diehards allergic to Windows 11 will be able to stay on a protected version of Win 10, provided they pay.
But while waiting for the old OS to be shelved, the American manufacturer continues to regularly publish updates for the operating system. At the beginning of April 2024, the Redmond firm notably deployed a new cumulative update which contained numerous fixes, various improvements and even certain new features such as the integration of Windows Spotlight (a feature which downloads images from Bing to display them as wallpaper on your PC).
Members of the Insider program can also get a preview of the rare new features coming to Windows 10. Recently, Microsoft launched a new Insider build (19045.4353). The first users noticed the appearance of a new banner in the Settings.
Also read: Windows 10 – this is how Microsoft wants to force you to upgrade to Windows 11
Microsoft once again gangs up on local accounts
To summarize, this message invites users with a local account to abandon it in favor of a Microsoft account. “This update marks the start of the deployment of notifications linked to Microsoft accounts in Settings > Home page, writes the company on its official blog. The manufacturer adds that Microsoft accounts have the advantage of “connect Windows to your Microsoft applications, back up your data and help you manage your subscriptions”.
You will have understood, this banner sounds like a new offensive launched by Microsoft against local accounts. Remember that this is not the first time that the company has taken action against local accounts. In 2020, Microsoft changed the Windows 10 installation process. So, if your PC was connected to the Internet during the procedure, you were forced to create a Microsoft account. One of the solutions was to take your machine offline before starting the installation of the OS to once again be able to create a local account.
Source: Neowin