Set up Your New Surface with a Microsoft Account
Some folks purchase their Surface Pro 3 or Surface 2, go through the initial setup and then get confused because OneDrive is not working and they can’t figure out why.
I have seen this time and again at my day job as well as through the Love My Surface. The most likely issue is the type of account that was chosen during the initial setup.
Those not familiar with Windows 8.1 often don’t know about account types and which is right for them. I wrote an overview earlier this year on the different types of accounts you can use; see Types of Accounts for a Surface Tablet to help you get started on understanding the differences.
This post will expand on that overview as I will include step-by-step instructions for setting up your primary account as a Microsoft Account and I’ll also cover setting up additional Microsoft Accounts on your Surface. That way, other people can use it without logging into your account and messing with your files/folders.
Sound good? Let’s get started…
Microsoft Accounts and OneDrive, Skype, Hotmail
It’s important for you to understand that Microsoft has tightly integrated OneDrive with Windows 8.x and Microsoft Accounts.
As a result, as I hinted at above, if you have already gone through the initial setup on your Surface and you are unable to access OneDrive it is very likely it’s because you choose to use a local account instead of Microsoft account. (if you did use a Microsoft Account and are still having problems, try looking at the steps in Tim’s post on OneDrive Not Syncing on Surface).
Surface tablets are (pretty much) designed to be network connected at all times and therefore it is best to use them with a Microsoft account. Doing so will allow you to automatically connect to Microsoft services, such as OneDrive, Skype, Hotmail, and so on.
Set up Your New Surface: Set up Your Shiny new Surface with a Microsoft account
In this section, we’ll cover how to setup a Microsoft Account during the initial setup of your Surface. If you haven’t even turned it on yet, this is the section you want to read.
- Make sure you connect your Surface to power and if you have one, attach the Type keyboard\cover (if you have one)
- Press and release the power button
- Windows setup runs the first time you turn on your Surface. You will be asked to:
- Choose language
- Choose color
- Choose a name for your Surface
-
Pair your pen (if it’s a Surface Pro 3)
-
Connect to a wireless network
- Choose express or custom settings (I recommend express, you can always change them later)
Once you’ve gotten to this point, you will need to pay attention to the account you set up. You want to make sure that you use a Microsoft account.
One of three scenarios are possible:
- You don’t have a Microsoft account – in this case you will need to create one. You can do so during the setup, however this gets a little tricky. If you have access to another PC, simply go to outlook.com and create an account – this is now your Microsoft account.
- You already have a Microsoft account – A Microsoft account is the email address and password that you use to sign in to Microsoft services like Outlook.com, OneDrive, Skype, or your Windows Phone. If you already have one, you can use it on your new Surface.
- You have multiple Microsoft accounts – in this case, you will need to pick one to use with your Surface tablet. Check out Choose Microsoft Account to help you pick the best one.
If you’re pretty sure you have a Microsoft account but have forgotten the password, go to password reset to change it.
If you have a Microsoft account, use it to log into your new Surface and follow the prompts. Don’t create a new Microsoft Account. It will just confuse you later.
It will take a few moments for your Surface to set up. Once setup completes, you’ll be taken to the Start screen and your Surface will be ready to use.
Set up Your New Surface: Add a Microsoft account login to your Surface
In this section, I’ll cover how to add additional accounts to your Surface (using Microsoft accounts, of course) so other people can use it without being able to mess with your files, folders, and settings.
Create a Microsoft account using a new Outlook.com email address:
- Swipe from the right to bring up Charms menu
- Tap Settings
- Tap PC Settings
- Tap Accounts
- Tap Other Accounts
- Add Account
- Sign up for a new email address
- Enter the info needed to create your Microsoft account, and choose email address, then tap Next
- Add security verification info and then tap Next and Finish
- Note that this account will be set up as a Stanard User, so if you wanted something else, you’ll need to go back and change it
Create a Microsoft account using an existing email address:
- Swipe from the right to bring up Charms menu
- Tap Settings
- Tap PC Settings
- Tap Accounts
- Tap Other Accounts
- Add Account
- Choose Sign up for a new email address
- Tap Or use your favirate email
- As in the steps above, enter the info needed to create your Microsoft account, but this time enter your email address, then tap Next
- Add security verification info and then tap Next and Finish
- As in previous steps, this account will be set up as a Standard User, so if you want this account to have Administrator rights, you’ll need to go into the User Accounts section of Control Panel to set it up
NOTE: if you get an error message during either of the scenerios above that Microsoft account couldn’t be created, there is a good chance that the account name is already in use by someone else. This is why I recommend doing this step in advance via outlook.com. But, you may not have the option, in which case, you’ll just have to keep trying different names until you find one that works.
With your Microsoft account you receive access to 15GB of free OneDrive space and your Surface will, by default, automatically save a backup copy of your Surface settings to OneDrive.
You may also like our posts on How To Create Picture Password or a PIN and How To Adjust Volume On Your Surface.
Joanna-
