Overview
This article covers why you might be encountering issues when signing into a Windows 10 or 11 computer with your Conetix-supplied Microsoft 365 account as a User.
Personal Accounts vs Work / School Accounts
Microsoft allows you to create a free “Microsoft Account” using any email address – this could be using a Gmail address, Outlook.com address, or even your own Microsoft 365 email address (ie, ).
This type of free account created by yourself is called a “Personal Account”.
In contrast to this, the Microsoft Account that Conetix creates for you when you host your emails through Microsoft 365 with us is called a “Work or School Account” (herein known as just a “Work Account”), and is totally separate from any Personal accounts.
Logging into a Computer with a Microsoft Account
Windows 10 and 11 computers allow you to sign into an online Microsoft Account as a User, as opposed to the traditional sense of using an offline “Local User” account that is specific to that computer.
When logging into a computer with a Microsoft Account, your settings and certain other data is stored and synchronised with Microsoft’s cloud services, allowing you to sync your account between multiple computers.
This can either be done by logging in with your Personal Account, or (under certain conditions) with your Work Account.
Why Does Windows Say “Account Doesn’t Exist” when Logging In with my Work Account?
While it’s possible to log in as a User with your Work Account, this is not possible on computers that have the Windows Home license – only Windows Professional or Enterprise (and their related counterparts) will let you sign in as a User with a Work Account.
If your computer has Windows Home installed on it, and you need to be able to log in using your Work Account, you would need to speak with your IT Support Team or local IT technician to have them help you look at upgrading from Home to Professional.
Conetix unfortunately cannot assist in the upgrade process.
Can I Access my Microsoft 365 Emails from a Personal Account?
Yes – you can still set your Microsoft 365 emails up in Outlook (or your email app of choice) when signed into the computer with a Personal Account.
This also applies to other Microsoft services such as OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and so on.