Microsoft is making it harder than ever to set up Windows 11 without a Microsoft account. In the latest Insider Preview Build (26220.6772), the company has removed several long-standing tricks people used to bypass the online sign-in requirement during installation. If you try to skip the login now, the setup process will likely crash, forcing you to start all over. This change affects what Microsoft calls the Out of Box Experience (OOBE)—the setup wizard that runs when you install Windows or start a new PC. Previously, users could run commands like start ms-cxh:localonly or use the "bypassnro" trick to create a local account and finish setup offline. Those commands are now gone. Microsoft says you'll need to stay connected to the internet the entire time to "ensure your device is set up correctly."
In short, if you're installing Windows 11 from scratch, you'll have to sign in with a Microsoft account unless you're doing an automated or managed installation. Corporate IT environments and enterprise devices aren't affected, but for home users, the days of quick local setups are coming to an end.
While this might sound like a small technical change, it's part of a bigger pattern. Windows 11 has been slowly moving toward full online integration—pushing users toward Microsoft 365, OneDrive, and other connected services right from the setup screen. With Windows 10 nearing the end of its support cycle, many people are being nudged to upgrade, and Microsoft seems to be tightening the experience around its ecosystem in the process. There are still advanced ways to install Windows 11 without logging in, such as using unattended setup scripts or preconfigured ISOs, but those aren't exactly user-friendly. Most people won't bother with them, and that's likely by design. Right now, these new restrictions are only in the Dev Channel, meaning they're being tested before a possible public rollout. If feedback is overwhelmingly negative, Microsoft could decide to back off, but given the company's recent trend, it looks like local-only setups may soon be history.
For everyday users, this means you'll need an internet connection and a Microsoft account ready the next time you do a clean install. Whether you see that as a convenience or a privacy concern depends on how you use Windows—but one thing is certain: the option to stay offline during setup is disappearing fast.
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