How to fix remote login problem with Microsoft account on Windows 11

On Windows 11, when you access a shared folder or connect to the device with a remote desktop connection, you probably won’t be able to log in from the device, even when you use the correct account and password. If this happens, it’s likely that the remote computer is configured with a Windows account connected with a Microsoft account.

The remote authentication won’t work when you set up a Windows 11 account with a Microsoft account. However, you can get around this problem in two ways. You can switch from a Microsoft account to a local account and switch back to a Microsoft account. Or you can create a new local account on the remote computer you can use to authenticate and access a shared folder or connect using the Remote Desktop app.

This guide will teach you the steps to resolve remote authentication problems by accessing files on the network or connecting using a remote desktop connection on Windows 11.

• Fix remote login problem switching local account on Windows 11
• Fix remote login problem creating local account on Windows 11

Fix remote login problem switching local account on Windows 11

To switch to a local account from a Microsoft account and back to a Microsoft account on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Accounts.

3. Click the Your info tab.

4. Click the “Sign in with a local account instead” option.

   

5. Click the Next button.

6. Confirm the new local account credentials, including username, password, and hint password.

   

7. Click the Next button.

8. Click the “Sign out and finish” button.

9. Sign back into the newly created account.

10. Open Settings.

11. Click on Accounts.

12. Click the Your info tab.

13. Click the “Sign in with a Microsoft account” option.

    

14. Confirm your Microsoft account information.

    

15. Confirm the local account password (not the Microsoft account password).

    

16. Click the Next button.

17. Click the “Skip for now” option.

18. Click the Next button.

Once you complete the steps, you should be able to use your Microsoft account or local account information to log in from a remote computer to access a shared folder or open a remote desktop connection.

Fix remote login problem creating local account on Windows 11

To create a local account on the remote computer that you can use to sign in from a different device, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Accounts.

3. Click the Other users tab.

4. Under the “Other users” section, click the Add account button.

   

5. Click the “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information” option.

   

6. Click the “Add a user without a Microsoft account” option.

   

7. Create a Windows 11 local account by confirming a name and password.

   

8. Create security questions and answers to recover the account if the password is lost.

9. Click the Next button.

10. (Optional) Select the newly created account and click the “Change account type” button.

11. Use the “Account type” drop-down menu and select the Administrator option.

    

12. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, you can now use the username and password to sign in to the computer remotely to access shared content or establish a remote desktop connection.