Before PC users can enjoy everything Windows 11 has on tap, they must first enter an e-mail address that’s linked to a Microsoft account. If you don’t have one, you’ll be asked to create one before you can start setting it up.
A frequently used trick to circumvent this block is a small but ingenious step. By entering a random e-mail address and password, which doesn’t exist and causes the link to fail, you end up directly with the creation of a local account and can thus avoid creating an official account with Microsoft.
Laura Pippig at PCWorld
Microsoft has now “fixed” this trick, and it’s no longer possible to use it. The other popular method of circumventing the Microsoft account requirement, by opening the command prompt during installation and running OOBE\BYPASSNRO, still works, but one has to wonder how long it’s going to take before Microsoft plugs that method, too. It seems the company is hell-bent on getting every consumer onto the Microsoft Account train, come hell or high water, so I wouldn’t be surprised seeing local accounts eventually being positioned as a “pro” or even “enterprise” feature that will simply no longer be available on consumer PCs.
I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with offering an online account option, but the keyword here is option. You should always be able to set up any computer to run with a regular old local account, even if only because internet access isn’t always a given in many places around the world. Add the obvious privacy concerns to that – an issue amplified by Recall – and I doubt users’ desire to run a local account and jump through hoops to do so will fade any time soon.
The year of Linux
I’ll stick with Mac OS.
You can also just use the command like tools NT has had for 2 decades to manually create the users you want… then continue the install.
cb88,
Your the method referenced by Thom and in the comments here?
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/insider/forum/all/set-up-windows-11-without-internet-oobebypassnro/4fc44554-b416-4ecb-8961-6f79fd55ae0f
Microsoft still permits users to create local accounts, the problem is just that the setup program forces you to create an online account before the install is allowed to continue. Once the install is done you can remove the online account. But to avoid creating an online account entirely you have to trick/bypass the installer in some way, but microsoft are closing some of those loopholes.
It would not surprise me if a future version of windows ceases to support local user accounts in future consumer versions of windows, but as I have no insider connections this is purely speculative.
no that is not the same at all…
You can do something like this
net user owner /add
net localgroup administrators owner /add
cd %windir%\system32\oobe
msoobe.exe
And skip the whole mess.
cb88,
That’s exactly what’s listed in the comments of the link I provided.
Regardless of the method used, the big question may be how long local accounts will continue to be supported at all. Nobody expects MS to kill off local accounts in professional/enterprise versions, but I’m not so sure about home users. Microsoft’s official requirements are clear and they could technically extend the online account requirement beyond the installer and into the home version of windows itself. As more windows end up signing up for an online account (whether they wanted to or not), MS may become more comfortable ending support for local accounts altogether.
I hope not, but it seems plausible that is microsoft’s eventual plan.
People have also posted powershell scripts online that do the same thing… so there are multiple ways to do this either through the ancient command line utilities or though the newer powershell ,net APIs.
If I remember correctly it will act wiered when you do this until you reboot and login the first time.
Windows installation process is a total mess, so the forced “Windows account” is just the iceing on the cake.
Anyway, I just have some dummy account and after installation create a local account and then start deleteing all the unwanted stuff starting with the online account over Office365 etc.
Still I need Windows for my daily work
Microsoft is hilarious right now.
Rufus will let you built an install stick to disable this and/or make a pre-designated user profile.
Yes, this forced online tethering is insane.
Should we start calling it SauronOS?
There’s an easy way for the Pro version of Win11 (and presumably, for the “higher” versions as well), that I never encountered using search engines. But I’m very glad someone pointed me at it; maybe this will help others as well.
You can create a local (admin) account by claiming during the install that you want the machine to join a domain. You won’t have to actually join (in fact, I wasn’t even given the option of joining one!), but it lets you create a local admin account with a chosen username. Just use the option “Setup for work or school”, then “Other sign-in options”, followed by “Domain join instead”.
This does work, but only with Enterprise and Education, i believe. I don’t think Pro users get that option anymore, and Home definitely does not, it cannot join a domain. You could use an old install iso, i guess, and not connect it to the internet or allow it to update before install.