Microsoft is making life easier for the millions of people who use Microsoft 365 services on the web. Just announced is the ability for Microsoft 365 web users to sign into and switch between work and personal accounts in the same web browser, without the need for complicated workarounds.
Coming in April and June, the feature is expected to be seen on Office.com, as well as Word, Excel, PowerPoint for the web, Outlook on the web, OneDrive for the web, SharePoint, and Microsoft 365 admin center. When it’s ready for you, you’ll see it on these respected web pages by clicking on the account manager in the top right corner. From there, you’ll be able to add a new account or switch to an account that has already been signed into the same web browser. Once you switch, the webpage will refresh with the content associated with that account you’re switching to. Check it out in the GIF below!
Microsoft, though, does have some important points to note about this feature. You only can use one account per app at a time. If you end up using two or more browser app tabs with different accounts, you’ll be notified to refresh the tab with non-active accounts.
Also, Microsoft isn’t mixing data access permissions between work/school accounts, or different organizations. Finally, the ability to sign in with multiple accounts doesn’t sync up across your accounts, so if you add personal and work accounts in a Microsoft 365 web app on Microsoft Edge, and then go to Chrome, the accounts will not automatically show up there. You’ll have to add them again manually on new browsers.
“This feature maintains data integrity and privacy across different account and organization boundaries. In other words, each account will continue to only have access to the data they have permissions for,” said Microsoft’s Amara Gordon in a post announcing the feature.
Thanks to this, you’ll no longer have to use InPrivate windows or separate Microsoft Edge profiles for your different organizations when going to these Microsoft 365 web apps. Heading into the future, Microsoft says it is actively working on bringing more support for this so more Microsoft 365 web apps in scope, so it’s best to stay tuned for more.
