Microsoft wants to bridge the gap between Microsoft/Office account and Windows 11 by integrating the Microsoft account directly into the system settings. This move comes after the company made Microsoft account mandatory on Windows 11 Pro for personal or home use.
Windows 11 22H2 introduces Microsoft 365 subscription in Settings and Microsoft says it plans to further improve the experience via future updates delivered using Online Service Experience Packs. As part of the update, Microsoft is introducing “payment details” within the subscription card experience.
As you can see in the below screenshot, the Settings app now lets you view and manage payment information, and you can even receive notifications when your payment method requires an update. The purpose of integrating the Microsoft account’s payment feature into the settings app is to help you continue your subscriptions without any disruptions.
At the moment, Microsoft account integration is limited to payment details, but this will change in a future update.
Microsoft is now testing a series of changes to better reflect the features associated with Microsoft accounts within the Settings app. This includes products like Office 2021 or Office 2019.
For example, if you have an Office 2021 or Office 2019 subscription linked to the Microsoft account, you can view and manage supported Office perpetual products within Settings > Accounts.
You can learn more about your subscriptions and even install the Office product. Previously, users were required to manually log in to their account in a browser in order to install the Office product.
Windows 11’s Microsoft account integration is still in the early days of development and it’s rolling out to testers in the Dev Channel. Microsoft is planning to collect more feedback before releasing it in the production channel via an Online Service Experience Pack.
There’s a chance it would begin rolling out to consumers by the end of this year as the integration doesn’t require a feature update.
Improvements coming to Windows Settings
Microsoft has announced a series of improvements for the Settings app in Windows 11 22H2.
For example, Microsoft is updating the default values for “Sleep and Screen off” to reduce energy consumption, and carbon emissions, particularly when PCs are idle. However, this change will be rolled out to only those who clean install the operating system with version 22H2 or newer.
Microsoft is also improving the search bar experience within the app and the company is hoping to further improve the Settings with Sun Valley 3.