- Microsoft simply blocked a preferred workaround to put in Home windows 11 with an area account
- Some folks prefer to keep away from having a Microsoft account linked to the OS because of privateness (or different) considerations
- Whereas different workarounds stay, it’s doubtless they could possibly be reduce off too – and Microsoft could be very a lot taking place the unsuitable path right here
Microsoft seems to be shifting to dam Home windows 11 customers who need to set up the working system utilizing an area account, which means that they need to keep away from having to make use of a Microsoft account (and be on-line) when organising the OS.
Not everybody desires to tie their copy of Home windows 11 on to their Microsoft Account – or they might not even have such an account in any respect – and people are the oldsters who need to simply use an area account (solely tied to the PC itself).
Whereas Microsoft formally eliminated this alternative from Home windows 11’s setup expertise a while in the past, there was a commonly-used workaround – however the software program large has simply blocked this.
As Home windows Central makes clear, that methodology of swerving across the requirement to make use of a Microsoft account was to fireside up the command immediate and enter ‘oobebypassnro’ – however within the newest previews of Home windows 11, Microsoft has stripped out that capacity. Particularly, that is preview construct 26200.5516, which is probably step one on the path to Home windows 11 25H2, this yr’s massive replace.
Nonetheless, it’s nonetheless attainable to make use of that specific fudge another way – by modifying the Registry, as Home windows Newest reveals us. That’s clunky – and probably harmful for much less tech-savvy customers, because the Registry can mess up your system for those who put a foot unsuitable along with your modifying – however fortunately there’s a greater workaround.
Home windows Central seen that as highlighted on X by WitherOrNot, there’s a unique command to realize this specific trick. It’s ‘ms-cxh:localonly’ and once more, that is entered within the command immediate, which is reached by urgent ‘Shift + F10’ in the course of the Home windows 11 setup course of.
Take a look at the way it works within the video clip on X under, but it surely’s a a lot simpler and extra streamlined means of doing this than the previous methodology.
Improved bypass for Home windows 11 OOBE:1. Shift-F102. begin ms-cxh:localonlyOnly required on Residence and Professional editions. pic.twitter.com/ZUa89ZPBI3March 29, 2025
Evaluation: Anticipate full roadblocks in place earlier than lengthy – however this shouldn’t be occurring in any respect
To summarize the present state of affairs, there are nonetheless two methods (at the least) that you could interrupt the Home windows 11 setup course of, and set up with out utilizing a Microsoft account, simply working with an area account as a substitute (with no ties on the OS to Microsoft, which some of us desire purely from a privateness viewpoint).
Nonetheless – and it’s a giant nonetheless – I totally anticipate that Microsoft will block the choice Registry fudge talked about above fairly swiftly. And it’s doubtless that the opposite resolution offered on X will probably be despatched to the nice graveyard of Home windows 11 workarounds within the sky earlier than lengthy, too – now that it’s turn out to be widespread data. Effectively, possibly not widespread data, however quite a bit higher identified, anyway.
Microsoft is prone to block off all avenues of evading its requirement to have a Microsoft account when putting in Home windows 11. Clearly, that is an overarching coverage which is being put into place, and I’d anticipate it’ll be adopted by. Perhaps not all that swiftly, however I’m betting that when Home windows 11 25H2 arrives, it’ll have just a few extra of those blocks in place.
For many who actually don’t desire a Microsoft account with their Home windows 11 set up, there’s prone to be just one plan of action finally – merely to create a dummy Microsoft account that’s a clean slate, which you don’t do something with. You’ll be able to then create an area account, post-setup of Home windows, following Microsoft’s recommendation on how to do this (a help doc that, very controversially, disappeared for a time).
Complaining about Microsoft stamping out these workarounds is sort of lacking the purpose, although. There shouldn’t be any want for these fudges within the first place, as a result of Microsoft must be giving us the liberty to decide on if we wish an area account, or a Microsoft account-linked set up, throughout Home windows setup (as was the case prior to now).
After all, Microsoft argues that having an account linked offers you syncing of its companies (and your information) throughout units, and higher safety (OneDrive backups and such), however there are different methods of attaining these ends in lots of circumstances. And it ought to totally be the selection of the person – if I desire a native account, I ought to be capable of have one. I don’t, because it occurs, however the level is there must be a freedom of alternative right here.
By all means, load up that alternative display with caveats warning much less tech-savvy customers about the advantages they’ll miss out on because of not having a Microsoft account attached – however put the selection in, please.
On a extra severe word, there may additionally be technical gremlins that intervene with the set up of Home windows 11 when linking it to a Microsoft account on-line. Right here at TechRadar we’ve skilled irritating login fails on overview {hardware}, for instance, which meant an area account was obligatory to get the OS put in (presumably because of server-side glitches on Microsoft’s half). In these situations, an area set up possibility – or workaround – isn’t just good to have, however really of essential significance.
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