If you are using a local account on Windows 11, it might occasionally show a notification with the title ‘Microsoft account problem’. The gist of this notification is that it is asking you to use a Microsoft account to log into Windows 11. Clicking on this notification will take you through the process of adding a Microsoft account to your user account.
If you are going through the hoops (such as oobe\bypassnro) to use a local account on Windows 11 then it is very likely that you don’t want to use an online account. In that case, this notification can be a bit annoying since there is no visible way you can disable it. The good thing is, while not straightforward, you can do it. This tutorial shows the steps you should follow to stop the ‘Microsoft account problem’ notification once and for all.
Stop ‘Microsoft account problem’ notification
On Windows 11 (and 10), many features are tied with and require a Microsoft account. Any of these features can trigger this notification. To disable the Microsoft account problem notification, follow the below suggestions:
- Turn off Windows device setup notifications
- Turn off Nearby Sharing
- Turn off clipboard history
- Uninstall the Office 365 app
- Stop Cortana from running in the background
- Uninstall OneDrive
Let’s see these steps in detail:
1. Turn off Windows device setup notifications
Windows 11 shows occasional notifications about the unfulfilled setup steps, like adding an MS account. Disabling these notifications will stop
Step 1: Open the Settings app (Win + I).
Step 2: Go to the System tab on the sidebar and click on Notifications.
Step 3: Scroll down and click on the Additional Settings option.
Step 4: Uncheck the below options under additional settings.
- Show the Windows welcome experience after updates and when signed in to show what’s new and suggested
- Suggest ways to get the most out of Windows and finish setting up this device
- Get tips and suggestions when using Windows
Step 5: Close the Settings app.
Related: How to Disable “Let’s finish setting up your device” Setup Screen
2. Turn off Nearby Sharing
Nearby Sharing is a feature that allows you to share files between nearby computers. This feature can sometimes require an MS account which n turn triggers the account problem notification.
Step 1: Launch the Settings app on Windows.
Step 2: Click on the System tab on the sidebar.
Step 3: Click on the Nearby Sharing option on the right panel.
Step 4: Expand the Nearby Sharing option and choose the Off option.
Step 5: Close the Settings window.
3. Turn off clipboard history
Clipboard History is a feature that keeps track of items in your clipboard and allows you to retrieve them as and when needed. This feature too requires an MS account to unlock its full functionality (such as Clipboard Sync) and might be a cause of the ‘Microsoft account problem’ notification. As such, disabling the Clipboard History feature might help. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open Settings.
Step 2: Click on System on the sidebar.
Step 3: Scroll down and click on the Clipboard option.
Step 4: Turn off the ‘Clipboard history‘ option.
Step 5: Turn off the ‘Suggested actions‘ feature.
Step 6: Close the Settings app.
4. Uninstall the Office 365 app
Office 365 app comes pre-installed on Windows 11 and requires logging in with an MS account. If you are not using it, uninstalling it will make sure that it doesn’t trigger the MS account problem notification.
Step 1: Launch the Settings window (Win + I).
Step 2: Go to the Apps > Installed apps page.
Step 3: Find the Office 365 app and click on the More option.
Step 4: Select the uninstall option.
Step 5: Follow the on-screen instructions, if any.
Step 6: Close the Settings window.
Step 7: Restart your computer.
5. Stop Cortana from running in the background
Though you don’t see Cortana on Windows 11 anymore, it still lingers around and runs in the background. As you’d guess, Cortana requires an MS account for much of its functionality causing it to trigger the MS account notification. So, it is better to stop it from running in the background. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open Settings.
Step 2: Click on Apps on the Settings app’s sidebar.
Step 3: Click on the Installed apps option.
Step 4: Find the Cortana app and click on the More options icon.
Step 5: Choose Advanced Options.
Step 6: Select Never from the Background Apps Permissions dropdown.
Step 7: Close the Settings window.
If you want, you can also permanently disable Cortana.
6. Uninstall OneDrive
OneDrive is the built-in cloud storage service on Windows 11. As you’d guess, it requires an MS account to function. As such, it often triggers the notification even when you are not using it. So, it is better to disable or uninstall OneDrive if you are not using it. When you want to use it, you can easily re-install OneDrive.
That is all. I hope this tutorial helped you in stopping the ‘Microsoft account problem’ notification on Windows 11 (& 10).
If you are stuck or need help, send an email, and I will try to help as much as possible.
Related: Windows user account tutorials