Like many, I was reluctant to consider using Microsoft Edge over my favorite browser of choice. But to my surprise, I found a compelling reason to commit to using Edge regularly – its ability to smoothly manage multiple Microsoft logins without having to constantly sign in and out.
There has always been debate over the pros and cons of the many browser options out there. This article is not intended to rehash those arguments, or even to claim that Edge is the best overall browser out there. For many people, picking a browser is a deeply personal choice! This writeup is just to show how simple it is to use Edge to manage and use multiple logins at the same time.
There are many scenarios that may require you to log in with different Microsoft accounts. Working for a consulting company, I have different logins for different clients. Switching between them all day long can be extremely frustrating. Even as a traditional employee, you may need to log in with different identities for development and testing, or even just to separate your work and personal accounts.
When you set up multiple accounts, you can easily open separate windows for each account and switch between them without logging out of the previous account. Each account will even have a separate icon in your Windows taskbar that groups the window or set of windows for each account. If you are logged into three different Microsoft accounts, you will have three different Edge icons in your taskbar to keep them separate. You can even select different theme colors for each account to distinguish between them quickly and easily by sight on your desktop.
To get started, click on the account icon on the upper right side of the address bar. From the Profile drop-down, select Add Profile (Figure 1). The Add Profile window will be displayed. Click on the Add button (Figure 2).
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You will be given the opportunity to sign into another Microsoft account and sync your data. Select “Sign in and sync data” from the window that appears (Figure 3).
The Microsoft Sign In window will be displayed (Figure 4). Enter your username and password to sign into your account. You may be asked to enter your pin (Figure 5) or use 2-factor authentication to complete your login.
Once you have logged in, you will be given some options to customize Edge for this new account. Pick your color options, tab layout, and the me on the first screen (Figure 6), and the sites to add to your taskbar on the second screen (Figure 7).
A new browser window will be opened for this account with the theme and options you selected. You can change the name or Edge settings for this account by clicking on the account icon in the upper right side of the address bar and selecting “Manage profile settings” (Figure 8).
To change the name of the current profile, click on the Ellipses button to the right of the name and select Edit (Figure 9). You can also delete the current profile. On this screen, you can also use the options and menus to change various Edge settings for this particular profile.
Once you have your profiles set up, logging into multiple Microsoft accounts at the same time and seamlessly transitioning between them is simple and easy. Simply open a new Edge window and use the account icon at the top right of the address bar to select the account you wish to use. Edge will automatically switch the window to whatever color scheme you have chosen for that account and separate the icon on your taskbar to group all open Edge windows for the account you have specified (Figure 10).
Whether or not Edge is your favorite browser, the ability to easily switch between Microsoft accounts can be an extremely helpful function for anyone who deals with more than one account. It can be a great timesaver!
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Aimee Krummenacher is a Project Manager/Business Analyst at Software Design Partners.
