When playing Minecraft on Xbox, Windows, or Android and iOS mobile devices, you can sign in with your Microsoft account and use your Xbox gamertag to save your progress, purchases, and play online with your friends using Realms.

Note: You will still need to purchase an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play online on Xbox consoles. On other devices, like PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, you can use a free Microsoft account to sign in to Minecraft, but you will still need the appropriate subscription service to play online, such as PlayStation Plus or Nintendo Switch Online.

A free Microsoft account will help you access your purchases, Realms, and other Minecraft content across all of your Minecraft devices. Microsoft accounts are free to set up and use on any Minecraft device.

To set up a free Microsoft account, follow these instructions:

1. In Minecraft, select Sign In.
2. Enter the email address you want to use for your account.
3. Enter the password you want to use for your account.  
   Note: Passwords must have at least 8 characters and contain at least two of the following: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
4. Use the drop-downs to select your Country/region and set your Birthdate.
5. Check your email for a verification code from Microsoft. Enter or paste the code and select Next.

Your Microsoft account is now set up! You should be automatically signed into your account in Minecraft.

Note: If you are under 13 years old, you will need to get a parent's permission to complete your account set up. Please ask your parent to help you activate your Microsoft account.

A free Microsoft account will help you access your purchases, Realms, and other Minecraft content across all of your Minecraft devices. Microsoft accounts are free to set up and use on any Minecraft device.

To sign into your free Microsoft account, follow these instructions:

1. In Minecraft, select Sign in with a Microsoft account.
   
2. On a different device, open your web browser and navigate to the URL displayed in Minecraft. Enter the code displayed in Minecraft and click Next.
   
3. Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype username for your Microsoft account and click Next.
   
4. Enter your password and click Sign in.
   
5. Once you are signed in, Minecraft will display a welcome message. Select Let's Play!.

To sign into your free Microsoft account, follow these instructions:

1. In Minecraft, select Sign in with a Microsoft account.
2. On a different device, open your web browser and navigate to the URL displayed in Minecraft. Enter the code displayed in Minecraft and click Next.
3. Enter the email address, phone number, or Skype username for your Microsoft account and click Next.
4. Enter your password and click Sign in.
5. Once you are signed in, Minecraft will display a welcome message. Select Let's Play!.

Minecraft will automatically sign in with the gamertag that you used to purchase the game through the Windows Store. If you want to sign in with a different account, follow these instructions:

1. Launch the Xbox app.
2. Click the Profile and settings menu and click Sign out.
3. Click the Profile and settings menu and click Sign in.
4. In the pop-up window, click Sign in and sign in with the gamertag you want to use.
5. Launch Minecraft. If you are not signed in with your gamertag, make sure you are signed in with the right gamertag in the Xbox app and restart Minecraft.

Minecraft will automatically sign in with the gamertag for your current Xbox profile.

In Minecraft, parents can set permissions for child and teen accounts for the following activities:

• Joining multiplayer games
• Receiving invitations to join other players' games
• Communicating with voice or text
• Purchasing packs or Realms/Realms Plus subscriptions

To play online with Realms, you will need to configure your device privacy settings to allow Minecraft to communicate over the Internet and make sure that the Clubs and Multiplayer settings are both set to Allowed.