Last month, Microsoft published a new support document with a notification about changes to how its systems handle customer accounts, claiming that users would remain signed into their accounts by default (unless logged in using InPrivate or signed out manually). The change was supposed to go live in February, but a few days ago, users noticed that the document had been removed. Now, Microsoft has a word to clarify the situation.
In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft said that the support document was published "by mistake."
There will be no changes to Microsoft users’ commercial (Microsoft Entra) or consumer (Microsoft account) sign in experiences in February. Media reports were based on incomplete information mistakenly published by a Microsoft product team. The incorrect notifications have been removed.
As of right now, Microsoft asks whether you want to stay signed into your account with the option to remember your choice. The company wants to remove this prompt and keep your account logged in all the time. Although Microsoft removed the original support document (Outlook users also received it in an email from the company), it still plans to implement the change. Therefore, you will have to pay closer attention to your account when signing in on public devices.
To avoid privacy issues and data theft, Microsoft recommends using InPrivate or Incognito mode. Chromium-based browsers use the Ctrl + Shift + N shortcut for that, while Firefox users can launch private mode by pressing Ctrl + Shift + P. Of course, the good old "Sign out" button still works as it should. In case you forgot to sign out of a device that is no longer around, you can always use the "Sign out everywhere" feature on the security dashboard of your Microsoft Account.
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