Microsoft announced that the Microsoft Account service now has more than 1 billion users, and is growing rapidly at the scale of 200-300 million new users every year. The first Microsoft account was registered in 1999, and Microsoft officially opened it to the public in 2006. There were 30 million SkyDrive users and more than 260 million Hotmail users at the time, both of which were covered by Microsoft Accounts at the time.
The introduction of Windows 11 and Surface devices accelerated the number of Microsoft account sign-ups, with 400 million accounts joining since September 2014 alone. Microsoft is also working to retire its Windows Live ID system and replace it with a single sign-on for all services, and recently announced a new feature called “Account Key” that lets users log into their accounts with a single button instead of every single sign-on. Any secondary access to its data requires a password.
A Microsoft Account is a single username and password that provides access to many Microsoft services. It allows you to log in and out of services without having to remember individual usernames and passwords. Microsoft Accounts are used for various Microsoft services such as Xbox, SkyDrive, Office 365, Outlook, Skype, Bing and MSN.
By using a Microsoft account, you can use the same email address and password on all your devices. This makes it easier for you to log in and helps prevent you from being locked out of your account because you forget your password on one device or another. Setting up a Microsoft account is free; however, some services require a paid subscription fee or are only available through the associated service.