The world of computing is never constant. It is an ever evolving process. And if there’s one company that have pioneered, invented, modified, and led computer technology, it is Microsoft.
From launching an OS to creating software tools in the form of MS Office, Microsoft is the ‘Adam’ of digital technology.
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Among its many novelties, Microsoft Account is an umbrella service of sorts which gives you access to almost all Microsoft services. You can login to email clients (Outlook), devices(Windows 10 computers, tablets) and applications (Visual Studio) with your Microsoft Account.
Let’s give you a detailed tour of how having a Microsoft Account is beneficial and rewarding in the long run.
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Getting Acquainted with Microsoft Account
Previously the service was known as Microsoft Passport. It gives you easy and secure access to all of Microsoft’s products. However, there’s much more to it.
With a single set of credentials, you can sign into Microsoft account-enabled websites. For verification, you will be redirected to the nearest Microsoft account authentication server, and asked to give your credentials over SSL connection.
Just like other accounts, you can choose to remember the login details. If you are a newly signed in user, then you have an encrypted time-limited cookie accumulated on your computer and the system gets a triple DES encrypted ID-tag which is the authentication server and the Microsoft account-enabled website.
Now the Microsoft account-enabled website puts a time-limited encrypted HTTP cookie after receiving the ID-tag. Until the cookies expire, you are logged in and not supposed to enter the credentials, unless you log out from the account.
The account can be created in two ways:
- You can use your existing email address to create an account with Microsoft.
- Or, you can create an email using Microsoft’s webmail services i.e. @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @msn.com, and @live.com
Things That Microsoft Account Lets You Do
Microsoft Account is not just a medium for Microsoft enabled websites to identify a user but has a lot more to offer.
Image Credit: Microsoft.com
Here’s a lowdown of the things you can do using your account:
- Log in to your Microsoft account and sync your important stuff onto your device. Moreover, get access to Office Online, Skype, OneNote, Outlook, OneDrive etc for free to make things easier.
- You can access the best of entertainment like games, movies, apps and more according to your preferences with Xbox Live and the Windows Store.
- If you use Microsoft account for shopping or even searching on Xbox and Windows Store, you get points. Redeem those points on buying a gift card, music, movies and more.
- It also helps you to manage your browsing data of Edge and clear the search history of Bing. Moreover, you can view and remove location data that Microsoft collects when you use Microsoft products and services.
- You can limit the number of hours your children spend online. You can even schedule it for each day and control the hours for which they sign in. Moreover, you can also block their access to ensure the privileges are not misused.
What Makes It Different And Awesome
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Unlike other accounts, it can be used for one too many things. Whether it’s your order history or putting limits on your kids spending or searching your lost device, Microsoft has got everything covered and here is the list of things that it can enable you to do:
- It not only connects you with your family via group video calls or chat messages but also monitor your kid’s online activity to make sure that your kids are safe and secure while surfing.
- You can allow your kids to shop for their favorite games, apps, music, and others, they won’t be needing your credit card, all you need to do is add money to their Microsoft account and, it is done!
- It ensures the security of an account by taking your security information to make your you are you, in case you forget your password and also informs if there is any unusual activity on your account. Let’s say, if you log in to your Microsoft account on a friend’s device, it will immediately notify you on your usual device that your account has been accessed by some other device.
- You can renew, cancel or subscribe for any service related to Microsoft in one place making your work easy and effective.
- In case, you lose your device and want to track it, with Microsoft account, you can track, lock and even erase the data to safeguard your data. Moreover, it also provides a free service, Reset Protection which adds an additional layer of protection to your phone so that if your phone gets stolen, it can’t get reused or reset easily.
With all these amazing features and services, Microsoft Account gives you a lot to explore.
Creating a Microsoft Account is a matter of few minutes.
- Click on this link to go to Microsoft sign up page.
- You can enter your existing email address to sign up or create a new email address.
- Create a password and click Next.
If you have entered your existing email address, follow these steps:
- The next screen you get, will ask you to enter the verification code received on the email address you entered.
- Check your inbox and enter the code, now click Next.
- You will be redirected to the Microsoft account home page.
- Tada, you got yourself a Microsoft account.
If you are creating/have created a new email address, follow these steps:
- As soon as you enter a new email address and choose a password, you will get a screen to select Country code and enter your mobile number and click Send code.
- You will get an option to Enter the access code and enter the code and click Next.
- You will be redirected to the Microsoft account home page.
On Microsoft account page, you can add your photo, change the password, add payment option and more.
Now that you know, how amazing and beneficial having a Microsoft account is, give it a try!