| How to add two-factor authentication to your Microsoft account
by Ed Bott
Signing in to Windows 10 with a Microsoft account offers a number of advantages over a local account. Doing so allows you to sync personalization settings and saved passwords, connect seamlessly to services like OneDrive, and recover a user profile if you've forgotten its password.
If you're going to entrust all that data to a single set of credentials, it's crucial that you add an extra layer of security in the form of two-factor authentication. You can set up two-step verification, which requires you to respond to an additional prompt when you sign in for the first time on an untrusted device. That precaution prevents unauthorized access to your cloud-based data and services if someone steals your credentials.
To turn on two-step verification, go to https://account.live.com/proofs and sign in with your Microsoft account. The info on that page includes trusted email addresses and phone numbers as well as the option to set up an authenticator app. And if you're ever concerned that your account has been compromised, you can use options on that page to change your password and force all previously trusted devices to reauthenticate.
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