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(Superuser.com does not allow the word "Problem" in titles, hence asterisk)

After turning on my PC I noticed the Windows desktop notification area showed there were two notifications pending, opening that produced this message

Microsoft Account Problem

Microsoft Account Problem

Select here to sign in to your Microsoft account to continue using apps between this device and your other devices.

I try to minimise the extent to which I grant large multinational corporations the right to sell my data or monitor my prediliction for trip-hop, so I regard this sort of vague yet ominous message with suspicion.

Additional info requested by comments:

Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options

Settings
more settings Password

When I turn on my PC, I log in with a local account. This is Windows 10 Home, no AD etc.

I don't use Microsoft services to any great extent. I use Windows 10 and let it apply security updates etc. I don't use Microsoft Office, Outlook, IE or Edge. I don't use MS cloud services or use their services to backup data, nor to synchronise data across devices.

Some years ago I set up an MS account since a business contact needed me to participate in a Teams meeting and also to receive a few encrypted emails over a period of a month or so (I recall as a guest via a web-browser rather than using an app?)

Does anyone know exactly what the notification means? What "apps"? What "devices"? What is meant by "between" in this context? For whom is this a "problem"? What have I been doing that I may not now "continue"? If I do not comply, what are the consequences for my use of Windows 10?

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  • Do you use a Microsoft account ? In general "apps" and "devices" relates to other computers or phones or apps which may use your Microsoft account. What do you have in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options?
    – harrymc
    Commented Feb 23 at 10:33
  • @harrymc: I did once create an MS account as a business I was working with wanted to talk to me over MS Teams. I think that's the only time and only purpose for which I have ever consciously used it. I will add a screenshot of the settings to my question but it doesn't show much - maybe I need to drill deeper?
    – RedGrittyBrick
    Commented Feb 23 at 10:40

1 Answer 1

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tl;dr: That notification message means you need to rummage around in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options until you find something related to an MS account that Microsoft thinks you might need to do or be reminded about.

If you change any security info to do with an MS account, MS may delay performing the change for 30 days and 29 days later attempt to remind you that something may happen by sending you a vague message.

When I (eventually) clicked on Your Info in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options

"Your info"

I saw "You need to ...", then after clicking Update Info, it produced this dialog:

Security info change still pending

If I recall correctly this was because a month ago I spent a few minutes helping someone practice their use of some MS product (perhaps Teams screen sharing) and I was not able to get the 2FA authorisation code through email before it expired - so I tried to change 2FA passcode delivery to SMS text message. I'd forgotten this and didn't associate this few minutes work last month with Microsoft's notification message today.

Thanks to harrymc for putting me on the right track.

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