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How Do I Prevent a Service From Logging Me in Automatically?

It’s simple.

Preventing someone else from accessing your account is as easy as signing out before you leave.
A photorealistic image in a 16:9 format, showcasing a close-up view of a computer screen. The screen prominently displays a large, modern-style "Sign Out" button. This button is designed to stand out with a vibrant color, possibly red or blue, against a soft, blurred background of a typical desktop interface. The background may include faint outlines of icons, folders, and other typical desktop elements, but the focus is clearly on the "Sign Out" button, symbolizing the action of logging off or exiting a digital space.
(Image: DALL-E 3)
Question: When I log on to Outlook.com, it goes straight to my inbox without my having to type in my password. How do I change it so I have to type in my password to stop other people from being able to access my inbox?

Making sure any online service doesn’t automatically log you in is critical if it’s possible that someone else might walk up and use your computer while you’re not looking.

The great news is that it’s trivially easy to do.

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Sign out

While you’re in Outlook.com, click on your profile icon in the upper right and then click on Sign out.

Outlook.com sign out.
Signing out of outlook.com. (Screenshot: askleo.com)

That will sign you out and take you to the MSN home page.

Now, return to Outlook.com, and you’ll be required to sign back in.

Signing in to Outlook.com
Signing in to Outlook.com. Click for larger image. (Screenshot: askleo.com)

That’s it. Just be sure to sign out, and it’ll require you to sign back in the next time. And it’ll prevent people from randomly walking up to your machine and using your account without needing to sign in at all.

More than Outlook.com

The question is about Outlook.com, but the concept applies to all online services.

If you have any concern at all that someone might walk up to your machine and start accessing your accounts, signing out will thwart them. Since they won’t be able to sign in as you, they’ll not be able to do a thing.

Do this

When in doubt, sign out.

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3 comments on “How Do I Prevent a Service From Logging Me in Automatically?”

  1. It’s possible you might want to make sure that any site you’ve previously accessed will require a login.

    Let’s say your prankster buddy is at your house and you step out to get the two of you some (more?) beer… but you don’t want to risk your “good buddy” logging into various sites as you while your gone (not saying it’s malicious, but he’s SUCH a practical joker, ya’ know?).

    Turns out that this, too, is trivially easy: Clear your browser’s cookies before you leave. In almost all cases this will log you out of all sites you’ve recently visited.

    (Hmmm. If your buddy is that much of a prankster, then perhaps you might also want to log out of your windows account — or at least lock it — or even just shut the whole durn computer down altogether — before you leave…!)

    Reply

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