> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://elevendecoded.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # What is a WSI Account in Windows 11 and How Does It Affect Your PC - URL: https://elevendecoded.com/wsi-account-windows-11/ - Published: 2026-11-05T14:12:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-05T14:12:00.000Z - Author: Md Fakharuddin - Tags: Windows 11, Security, System Stability If you have spotted an account called **WsiAccount** on a Windows 11 PC — in the list of user folders, in an account listing, or flagged by security software — it can look suspicious. It is not an account you created, and it is not a sign that someone else has been using the PC. WsiAccount is a legitimate, system-managed local account that Windows itself creates to support **Web Sign-In**. This article explains what it is, why it appears, and why you should leave it alone. ## What WSI stands for WSI stands for **Web Sign-In**. Web Sign-In is a *credential provider* in Windows — one of the components that offers a way to sign in at the lock screen, alongside familiar options such as password, PIN and Windows Hello. Instead of checking a password locally, the Web Sign-In provider presents a web-based sign-in experience on the lock screen and authenticates you against your organisation's cloud identity in Microsoft Entra ID, returning a sign-in token to Windows so you can unlock the device. The WsiAccount is the helper account behind that provider. Microsoft's documentation describes it as a system-managed local account: Windows creates it automatically when Web Sign-In is enabled, it is enabled each time someone uses the Web Sign-In credential provider, and it is disabled again after the user has signed in. It does not appear in the normal user selection list on the sign-in screen, and it is not an account a person signs in with directly. ## Why the account appears on the PC Because WsiAccount is a real local account under the hood, traces of it can show up where accounts or profiles are listed — for example a **WsiAccount** folder under the Users folder. On most personal PCs you will never see it. It is most likely to be noticed on a work or school device, because Web Sign-In is a feature organisations enable deliberately, usually through device management policy. Seeing it simply means Web Sign-In has been enabled or used on that device; the account does the temporary behind-the-scenes work the sign-in flow needs before your own profile loads. ## When would you actually encounter Web Sign-In? Web Sign-In was first introduced in Windows 10 with a single supported scenario: the **Temporary Access Pass**. A Temporary Access Pass is a time-limited passcode an IT administrator issues to a user — for example, to let a new employee sign in for the first time and set up their own sign-in methods, or to recover access when a PIN or other method is not working. The user picks the Web Sign-In option at the lock screen and enters the pass instead of a password they do not yet have. Starting with Windows 11 version 22H2 with update KB5030310, Microsoft expanded Web Sign-In on Microsoft Entra joined devices to cover more passwordless scenarios, including: - Signing in with the Microsoft Authenticator app - Resetting a Windows Hello for Business PIN - Signing in through a federated identity provider that uses SAML-P Microsoft's documentation sets conditions for the feature: the device must be **Microsoft Entra joined**, it needs an internet connection because authentication happens online, and Web Sign-In is not supported on Microsoft Entra hybrid joined or domain joined devices. In practice, that means Web Sign-In — and therefore WsiAccount — belongs to modern work and school PCs managed in the cloud, not to a typical home PC signed in with a personal Microsoft account. ## Should you delete the WSI account? **No.** Microsoft's guidance is clear that these accounts should not be removed, because system functions depend on them. The account is managed by Windows itself: it is created automatically, switched on only while Web Sign-In is being used, and switched off again afterwards. Deleting it or deleting its folder does not improve performance or security, and it can break the Web Sign-In flow the next time someone on that device needs it — which tends to be exactly the stressful moment, such as a first-day sign-in or an account recovery, when a Temporary Access Pass is the only way in. If the PC belongs to your employer or school and sign-in is behaving oddly — for example, Web Sign-In appearing when it should not — contact your IT administrator rather than removing accounts yourself. Web Sign-In is controlled by organisational policy, so only the administrator can change it properly. On a personal PC where sign-in works normally, there is nothing to do: it is a dormant system account, not an intruder. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is WsiAccount a virus or a hacked account? No. WsiAccount is a legitimate account created and managed by Windows to support Web Sign-In. Its presence on an Entra joined work or school device is expected. ### Can I sign in as WsiAccount? No. It is not displayed in the user selection list and is not meant for interactive sign-in. Windows enables it temporarily while the Web Sign-In provider runs, then disables it. ### What does WSI stand for? Web Sign-In — the Windows credential provider that provides a web-based sign-in experience at the lock screen, used for scenarios such as Temporary Access Pass sign-in on Microsoft Entra joined devices. ### Can I safely delete the WsiAccount folder to save space? You should not. The account and its profile are system-managed, take negligible space, and are needed for Web Sign-In to work. Leave them in place.