Are email addresses mandatory for Windows 8 login names?

07
2014-07
  • Cedric Martin

    I've got a computer running Windows 8 and in the user accounts I can see four accounts (they're in french, here's a rough translation):

    1. [email protected] / administrator
    2. Veronique YYY / [email protected]
    3. ASP.NET Machine Account / local account
    4. guest account / the guest account is desactivated

    I've got several questions but they're all related to email addresses and login names / accounts.

    Are email addresses mandatory for Windows 8 login names?

    Can you mix live and non-live user accounts on a Windows 8 system?

    Is it possible to have a live Windows 8 user account which is not using a @live.xx email address?

    Is it possible to have a non-live Windows 8 user account which is using a @live.xx email address?

    If the gmail.com email address of the admin is not a live Windows 8 account, does this mean I can create a "fake" email and use that as the email of a new Windows 8 account?

    Basically I don't understand very well why there are email addresses displayed on the login screen and why there are both @live.xx and @gmail.com email addresses on the same system and answer to the questions I asked above may help me understand a bit better what is going on (I'm coming from a Linux / OS X background. I literally haven't used Windows in more than a decade).

    • Answers
  • Big Chris

    The answer to your questions are quite easy.

    Anyone can create a Microsoft account, using any email address they please. Go to the Microsoft site to check this.

    You can create "local" accounts to your computer also. These do not require "Live" accounts.

  • LPChip

    When you first install windows 8 it will ask you to create a live account. You have the option there to not do so and create a local account instead.

    During your windows 8 sessions, you can, at any time, convert to and from a windows live account.

    So you can change your local account to a windows live account, and back without losing any settings.

    When using a windows live account, it will be linked to an email address.

    Sign in to Windows 8, and then navigate to PC Settings. You can do so via the Settings pane (WINKEY + I, Change PC Settings) or via the Charms bar (WINKEY + C, Settings, Change PC Settings).

    Then, navigate to Users. As you can see, there’s a handy button named Switch to a Microsoft Account.

    It is at this very same spot where you can switch it back to a local account.

  • Sathya

    There is a way to use local user accounts. On Windows 8 it is in the control panel accessible by searching for it, or running the command 'control' without the quotes. It should be pretty self-explanatory from there onwards. Let me know if you need help.

  • Milena Petrovic

    Are email addresses mandatory for Windows 8 login names?

    No. You can create a local user on your machine. When adding a new user, make sure that you select Sign in without a Microsoft account

    enter image description here

    Then, your users can have 'normalenter image description here' names, without emails

    Can you mix live and non-live user accounts on a Windows 8 system?

    Yes


    • Related Question

    Duplicate user account being created in Windows-8
  • Jay

    Before I synced my Windows 8 Pro with Windows Live, the login screen displayed one user account that I created with my username. After sync, two accounts are being displayed, both with the same username.

    I assumed one of them uses Windows Live credentials to login, and the other uses local credentials, but there's no way to tell as they are both identical and I am able to login to both, using the same (local) password.

    When I went into the Users and Groups section in the control panel, only one user account (local) is present. Where does the other one come from, and how do I remove it?


    • Related Answers
  • user169354

    I'm having a similar problem but different. I've created two local user accounts on my machine (Win 8 Pro 64 bit), one admin and one normal user, different passwords. These both appear once in the Manage Users screen along with the disabled Guest account. But when I go to the pre-login user switching screen I get smaller duplicate icons/buttons of both accounts. It's pretty annoying, but both buttons for each of the two accounts do log in correctly. Can't do a screen clip there to show you.

    Edit: I just found the answer on another site. It was my Toshiba Fingerprint software that was doing it. A quick uninstall fixed that problem (but I lose fingerprint capability, as there's no update from Toshiba yet!). I'm told that OEM facial recognition software can also cause it.

  • nhinkle
    1. Open the control panel: swipe in from the right (or press Win+C), then click on Control Panel
    2. Click on User Accounts and Family Safety
    3. Click User Accounts
    4. Click Manage Another Account

    This will show all accounts linked to this computer, including both local and Microsoft accounts. Local accounts will be noted as such, and Microsoft accounts will display the associated email address. You can click on any account to delete it or change its privileges. You can reset passwords for local accounts, but not for Microsoft accounts.

    windows 8 manage user accounts

  • Karan

    I held off on posting this (since Manage Accounts seemed to be the way to go), but maybe this will help.

    While you're logged in using the Live credentials, from the Charms bar / Settings / PC Settings / Users, try Switch[ing] to a local account and selecting the other account:

    1

  • SgtOJ

    Had exactly same problem. I simply un-installed my Cyber You-Cam 5 and the duplicates vanished all together.