Install Windows 10 Store Apps Without Switching to a Microsoft Account
With Windows 8, Microsoft added its own app store. Now, in Windows 10, it doesn’t totally suck. The one downside is that installing apps will try to force your Windows account into a Microsoft account. If you’d prefer to use a local account, but still download apps from the Store, follow these steps.
As you may already know, Windows 10 (as well as Windows 8) allow you to log in with a valid Microsoft account, instead of creating a local account that only works on your machine. However, you may prefer to keep a local account for privacy reasons. If you do, though, some Windows 10 features—like Cortana—may not work. Despite the default behavior, the Windows 10 Store is not one of them. You can still log in to your Microsoft account for just the Store without switching to a full Microsoft account. The process, however, is not terribly obvious. To do so, follow these steps:
- Launch the Store from your Start menu.
- Click the user icon next to the search box.
- Click “Sign-in” from the menu that appears.
- Choose “Microsoft account” and log in like normal.
- When the “Make it yours” box appears do not enter your password. Instead, click “Sign in to just this app instead.”
You may miss this option entirely if you attempt to install apps directly without signing in first. While it can be prevented by reading carefully, it’s also easy to miss. If you’re using a Microsoft account tied directly to Windows, this obviously wouldn’t be a problem anyway. However, installing Store apps requires a Microsoft login. This way, you don’t have to tie that login to your entire machine.
lifehacker.com |
