Windows 11 is integrating Microsoft accounts into the system settings interface

Windows 11

Microsoft wants to bridge the gap between Microsoft/Office accounts and Windows 11 by integrating Microsoft Accounts directly into system settings. The change comes after the company made it mandatory for individuals or families to use a Microsoft account on Windows 11 Pro.

Windows 11 22H2 introduced a section for managing Microsoft 365 subscriptions in the settings interface, and Microsoft said it plans to further improve the experience with future updates delivered using the Online Services Experience Pack. As part of the update, Microsoft is introducing “payment details” in the subscription card experience.

As you can see in the screenshot below, the Settings app now lets you view and manage payment information, as well as receive notifications when payment methods need to be updated.

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The purpose of integrating the payment functionality of a Microsoft Account into the Settings app is to help users continue their subscriptions without any interruptions. Currently, Microsoft Account integration is limited to payment details, but this will change in a future update.

Microsoft is now testing a series of changes to better reflect the functionality associated with Microsoft Accounts within the Settings app. This includes products like Office 2021 or Office 2019. For example, if you have an Office 2021 or Office 2019 subscription linked to a Microsoft Account, you can view and manage supported Office perpetual products in Settings > Account.

Users can learn more about subscriptions and even install Office products directly from here. Before that, it was necessary to manually log in to their account in the browser to install Office products.

Microsoft Account integration for Windows 11 is still in the early stages of development, and it’s rolling out to testers in the Dev Channel. Microsoft is planning to gather more feedback before releasing it in production channels via the Online Services Experience Pack. The change is likely to start rolling out to consumers by the end of the year, as the integration can easily be done without feature updates.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has announced a series of improvements to the Settings app in Windows 11 22H2. For example, Microsoft is updating the defaults for “sleep and screen off” to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, especially when the PC is idle. However, this change will only be rolled out to those with a clean install of the 22H2 or newer operating system.

Microsoft is also improving the in-app search bar experience, and the company hopes to further improve the settings with the Sun Valley 3 update.