FOR ME IT'S A GEEK: Separating work and private logins after leaving a job

Ask: Microsoft constantly requires me to log in when I access certain websites – for example, job boards, United Healthcare, or even Canon Community, a help site for Canon camera users. The thing is, MS asks for a password that is linked to a work account at a job I no longer have. When I try to log in with my personal account, it tells me “User Account”. [email protected] is a personal Microsoft account. Personal Microsoft accounts are not supported for this application unless specifically invited to an organization. Try signing out and signing back in with an organizational account.” I've told Windows many times to forget this old work account, but it keeps coming back. It doesn't matter which browser I use, Chrome or Edge. How can I stop this?

–Keith M.

Panama City, Florida

Answer: These days, it's common to be asked for a password when trying to access websites on the internet that contain personally identifiable information that could lead to identity theft. Even Microsoft itself might not ask for your login information. Some websites partner with Microsoft to use your Microsoft account as a sort of master key to unlock their content. Things get tricky when you have a business-related Microsoft account for work and a personal Microsoft account that goes with your copy of Windows on the computer, and maybe Microsoft 365 and other Microsoft services. If you have both, sometimes you don't even have control over which account is used when you try to log in. If you leave the employer where you had the work account, the method for removing that work account from your life can be pretty counterintuitive. I'll explain how to do that below. I'll try to cover the rest later in this article.

If you're constantly asked for your work account information when you log in, it's usually because that account has its information stored in the browser settings. If you're no longer associated with that employer, you'll need to remove the account from the browser entirely (not just deactivate it). This is actually a lot easier than it sounds. In Edge, click the three-dot button in the top-right corner, then select Settings (the “gear” icon). In the right navigation bar, select Profiles. Scroll all the way down to find the section called More Profiles. If the account you want to remove isn't listed, it might be the currently active account. Select a different account by clicking the Switch button in that account's row. Once the work account is visible, click the trash can icon next to the Switch button. Confirm you're sure, and the account will be permanently deleted from the browser.

This of course doesn't help with the problem that sites you want to access are only meant to be accessed with a work account. Of course, if you were given the right to access a site as a benefit of being employed by a company, you will lose your access rights once you are no longer employed there. That is generally the meaning of the error you are encountering. It is also possible that the site administrator misconfigured something when implementing their site and the site “thinks” you need to have a work account. I would imagine that your access right ended with the United Healthcare site when your employment with your previous employer ended, but with the Canon Camera site? Unless your job had anything to do with photography and your company paid for access to the site, one would assume that any Microsoft account would work. The logical course of action is to contact that site's customer service and explain that you are no longer with the employer who provided you with the login credentials you previously used to access their site and ask if they can help you switch to your personal account login credentials.

To view additional content, comment on articles, or ask your own questions, visit my website at ItsGeekToMe.co (not .com!)

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