How to Change Purchase Sign-in Settings in Microsoft Store

Why This Matters

The Microsoft Store is the main place to get digital content on Windows 11. By default, it asks you to confirm your identity before a purchase. A stray click, or another person at your PC, then can’t spend your money.

Changing this behavior has two possible effects. Turning the prompt down speeds up checkout. Keeping it on, or tightening other account checks, makes the account harder to misuse.

Which way to go depends on who uses the PC and how often they buy.

How to Change Purchase Sign-in Settings

Step 1Open Your Profile

These steps change the purchase sign-in settings for the Windows Store, which is now called Microsoft Store, from start to finish.

1. Click Start, type Microsoft Store, and press Enter. The Store window opens.
2. Click the Profile icon next to the search bar at the top of the window. This is your account picture, or a generic person icon if you have no picture. A menu opens with your account name and a few options.

Without a signed-in account, there is no purchase setting to change.

Step 2Find Purchase Sign-in

3. Click Settings in the Profile menu. Some Store versions label this entry App settings. It is the same page, and the Store settings page opens.
4. Scroll to Purchase sign-in. The current choice appears under that name. If you can't find it, update the Store first:

   1. Open Library in the Store.
   2. Click Get updates.
   3. Reopen the Store when the updates finish, then check the Settings page again.

The setting may also be missing on a work or school account, because an administrator can control purchases on those accounts. In that case you can't change it yourself. Ask your IT department.

Step 3Toggle Your Preference

5. Open the list of choices under Purchase sign-in. You can ask to be signed in for purchases, for example always or only when needed. You can also turn the prompt off so it doesn't appear. The exact wording differs between Store versions.
6. Select the option you want. The choice you pick is the one the Store applies to future purchases.
7. Enter your PIN or password if Windows asks you to verify your identity. This confirms that you are the account owner before the change applies.

The new choice should show as selected on the page. You normally don't need to restart the PC or the Store. To undo the change, return to the same page and select your previous option.

You don't always have to type your account password when a purchase is confirmed. If you have set up Windows Hello on the PC, you can confirm with your PIN, fingerprint, or face instead. If your Microsoft account uses the Microsoft Authenticator app, you may be able to approve the request on your phone.

These methods are quicker than typing a password and are usually harder for someone else to copy. Which ones you see depends on your PC hardware and your account setup.

Anyone who opens the Store on your account could then buy things with your saved payment method.

Security Comparison: Password Requirements

Managing Your Account and Security

Review your payment methods from time to time, since they matter as much as the sign-in rule. Visit the Microsoft Account billing page to update cards or remove old ones. A removed card can't be charged by mistake, even if the prompt is off.

Shared PCs work best with a separate Windows user account for each person. That keeps each person's Store purchases and saved payment details apart. It also helps maintain Windows store security.

Preventing Unauthorized Purchases

Turn on two-factor authentication for your Microsoft account. This is a security process that asks for two different forms of identification, so a stolen password alone is not enough to get in. It adds a protective layer beyond a standard password.

You set it up in your Microsoft account's security settings online, not in the Store.

Children who share a device need Microsoft Family Safety, a parental control tool that monitors online activity. With it you can set spending limits and block unauthorized purchases. Add each child's account to your family group so the rules apply to them.

Family organizers can also turn on Ask to buy in Microsoft Family Safety. With it on, a child's purchase request goes to an adult for approval before the purchase completes. Nothing is bought without the organizer's say-so.

Spending controls work alongside it, so you can limit how much a child spends. Only the family organizer, or an adult the organizer has given the role, can manage these settings. They apply to child accounts that belong to your family group.

Troubleshooting Purchase Failures

If a purchase fails, start with your order history. Check whether the charge went through. Then confirm that the card on file hasn't expired and that the billing details are correct.

Fixing outdated payment details solves most failed transactions.

What Happens When Done

If you turn the password requirement off, future purchases go through instantly. If you keep the prompt on, it protects the account against accidental clicks and unauthorized users. Choose based on how you use the PC.

Check your active recurring billing subscriptions now and then. Cancelling ones you no longer use prevents unexpected charges over time, whichever sign-in option you choose.

Summary

Keeping your Microsoft Store purchase settings up to date keeps shopping both secure and quick. Look at them again whenever your household, your devices, or your payment methods change.