Sign in with your Microsoft account
Your Microsoft account is the key to getting all of your Windows 11 computers on the same page. Your device will ask you to sign in with it when you set up Windows 11 for the first time, and when you subsequently sign in on any other devices that are also using Microsoft’s latest operating system, they will know who you are. Microsoft knows this, and has given users a variety of options for picking what gets synced and what doesn’t, all the way down to your browsing history. It won’t take you long to get everything configured to suit your needs. If you set up Windows 11 on a new computer with your Microsoft account and already have a laptop or desktop running the OS with the same account, the software will ask if you want to use the same settings, preferences, and apps on your new computer. Choose this “restore” option and you’ll get a few options for what to sync, such as which programs you’d like to install. This can make setting up a new computer easier, but if you’re not sure you’re ready to transfer this data over right away, you can pick Set up as new device and access the same options once you’re in Windows itself. When the initial setup process has finished, you can go to the Windows 11 settings from the Start menu and pick Accounts, followed by Your Microsoft account to manage your current account or switch to a different one.
Sync files with OneDrive
If you opt to sync OneDrive files during the setup process or later on, files transferred from other Windows 11 PCs will be online-only: they’ll show up on your hard drive in File Explorer, but they won’t actually be there (they’ll have a blue cloud icon next to them). When you need to open one of these files, OneDrive will download it and store it on your computer. Any new files you create and save to the OneDrive folder will be stored locally on the computer you’re currently using, and appear as online-only on any other connected Windows 11 devices. To store files or folders locally, right-click them in File Explorer and choose Always keep on this device. To change which other areas of your file system are synced to other Windows 11 computers besides the OneDrive folder (specifically the desktop, the Documents folder, and the Pictures folder), open Settings, then select Accounts, Windows backup, and Manage sync settings next to OneDrive folder syncing.
Set up Microsoft Edge’s sync settings
Many of us spend a lot of computing time inside a browser these days, and Microsoft Edge gives you numerous options for syncing data—such as browsing history and passwords—between devices. It’s the default browser that comes with Windows 11, though alternatives are available and come with their own sync settings. We’ll focus on Edge here, but most modern browsers have similar options. In Edge, click the three dots on the toolbar (top right), then Settings and Profile. If you’ve already signed into your Microsoft account, it will show up here (and you can opt to sign out again); if not, you can choose to sign in. If you don’t want anything from this browser to sync with the browsers on your other Windows 11 machines, you can simply sign out. To sync some data but not everything, sign into your Microsoft account and then click Sync. You’ll see toggle switches for everything that can and can’t be synced, including passwords, bookmarks, and even open tabs. Choose Turn off sync and nothing will be synchronized, but you will stay signed into your Microsoft account (which makes it easier to get into Microsoft websites like the Outlook email portal).
Check out the other Windows 11 sync options
Open the Remember my preferences panel and you’ll see three more things you can choose to sync or not sync: Passwords, Language preferences, and Other Windows settings (this includes stuff like your notification settings and the way that you’ve customized File Explorer). These options can be set independently. Some syncing options available on Windows 10, including the ability to sync your desktop wallpaper among computers, have been dropped from Windows 11. However, it’s not too difficult to get multiple Windows 11 computers working well together, especially with the built-in options you get with OneDrive and Microsoft Edge.
