Add your Device from your Microsoft Account - Quick Guide

If you device is not connected to your Microsoft account, then it can be a serious risk. For example, Having your PC connected to your account allows you to reset your password without data loss.

27 Sep 2020

3 minutes

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Difficulty

If you bought a new Windows computer and you would like to add it to your Microsoft account, then you came into the right place. Having your device connected to your Microsoft account makes your device safer and easier to access if an external event happens such as forgetting your login password as well as by connecting giving you the opportunity to making regular backups.

So how do you add your device to your Microsoft account? Our following guide will give you the answer.

What do I need?

Internet connection

Guide

First thing first, to add a new device, you need to access your personal Microsoft Account dashboard. We also wrote another guide showing you how to access your Dashboard and add a new device. Once you are on the Dashboard, you are ready to follow our guidance below.

In case you experience any difficulties following our steps, we have a linked our video from our official YouTube channel at the end of the. article.

On the top of the Dashboard, click on Add device.

Then a popup will show up asking you the type of device you would like to add. For instance, if you would like to add a PC, then select Add a PC.

Another popup will show up asking you which operating system the device is using. If you are adding a PC, Windows 10 will be the only option.

The final popup will be an instruction list of what to do next. As it states, you will need to go to Settings > Accounts > Your Info, and select Sign in with a Microsoft account instead. Let's follow these instructions

Go back to your settings and from Accounts choose Your Info. We split the screen for an easier view.

Sometimes, the button in the Your Info tab, might say Sign up with a local account instead. This might happen because your device doesn't recognise that it's not connected with Microsoft. No need to worry, you will just need to follow a few extra steps. If this happens to you, follow the steps as usual. If not, skip to the end.

Select on Sign in with a local account instead. Then a blue window popup will show up. click on Next.

A popup asking for your login pin may appear. If it does, input your login PIN passcode and if it's correct, it will automatically open a new page on the popup asking you to insert your username and new password. Please, keep a note of this password as this will be the password you will be using to sign into your device from now and on.

After this, select on the Sign out and finish button on the bottom. This will sign you out and you will need to use the password you have just input on the previous step.

Great. Now by going back to Settings > Accounts > Your Info, you should see the Sign in with a Microsoft account instead option. Click on it.

A Microsoft account login prompt will open. Type in your email and your local Windows password that you just setup earlier. Then click on Next.

You then need to input your 4-digit PIN if needed. Then click on Next, and your device is successfully been added to your Microsoft account. To confirm this, go back to Settings > Accounts > Email & Accounts and you should see the Microsoft account box containing the Microsoft logo on the bottom.

Finally, you can always go back to your Microsoft Dashboard and check your device is also displayed there as well.

Final Thoughts

Great, now you know how to add a device to your Microsoft account. In any case you misunderstood any step above, we have also recorded the whole process shown in the video below: