Starting February, Microsoft will keep you signed into your account indefinitely. Bad idea?
You need to log off from any online account anyway
3 min. read
Published on
Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial team. Read more
Right now, Microsoft still asks you if you want to stay signed into your account after a period of inactivity. However, according to a recent support document, in February, this is going to change.
The web browser sign-in experience is changing when you sign in to any product or service using your Microsoft account. Starting in February 2025, you will stay signed in automatically unless you sign out or use private browsing.
If you sign in on your own computer, your browser will remember your sign-in information, but if you sign in on a computer, phone or tablet that doesn’t belong to you, or is accessed by other people, you should follow the steps below to use a private browsing window instead.
The announcement has the title Avoid staying signed in on a public computer, so Microsoft already envisions the problem you might have after this change.
So, you can either click the profile icon from the corner of the Microsoft service you’re logged into the browser and select Log out, or use private browsing. By using private browsing, you will prevent saving the history, cookies, and site data on the device you’re using.
Microsoft also provides a way to log off from all the devices at once if you have any doubts that your account is opened on a system you’re not controlling. To do that, you have to log into your Microsoft account security dashboard, and then click the Sign out everywhere option as shown in the image above.
So, if you’re using a publicly managed device to check your Outlook email, or use any other Microsoft service online, you will have to make a habit of signing off when you finish.
You may also create a passkey for your Microsoft account that uses an extra code or biometrics to log you in. That adds an extra layer of protection, although that won’t change the situation too much. If you’re logged into your account on a public computer, anyone who accesses it may use it. The only difference is that they won’t be able to change the password and take over the account.
Now, this change only affects the Microsoft’s online services and that is the general rule for most online services out there. The change came after many users kept complaining that they were being logged out of their online accounts.
So, things are not as grim as they sound. You will need to sign off from your account on a computer on a public computer as you should and do with any other online account.
User forum
0 messages