News How to Install Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account

[Admin]

By default, Windows 11 requires you to have or create an account.

How to Install Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account : Read more

 

[maestro0428]

I was able to get around the MS account by installing win 10 pro first with a local account , then updating to 11 pro. BUT, I pulled to sticks of ram out for testing and boom, local account gone. Either I buy another key, or sign in to MS account and say "I changed hardware." BS for sure.

 

[USAFRet]

I was able to get around the MS account by installing win 10 pro first with a local account , then updating to 11 pro. BUT, I pulled to sticks of ram out for testing and boom, local account gone. Either I buy another key, or sign in to MS account and say "I changed hardware." BS for sure.

Changing RAM sticks should have NO issue with accounts and activation.

 

[maestro0428]

I know right?! But as soon as those sticks came out, no other change was made and when I booted, it said activate windows again, but with a MS account. Its fixed now, still on local account, but I don't want to have to do all this to keep it activated as much as I change hardware. Thankfully, my lab (tinker) machine is still on 10 pro. No issues with hardware changes there and it is on a local account as well.

 

[Colif]

You should contact Microsoft, ram shouldn't cause that to happen.
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...r-memory/06b38149-d01c-4ec7-ad89-5ed36e677ebe

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Maybe you want to use a local account because you are installing Windows 11 on a child's PC

This would be a reason TO use a Microsoft account, because parental controls and the ability to access it as an administrator while your child is a regular user.

or on a PC that you plan to sell, give to a friend or donate to a charity.

That's what Reset My PC is for.

While there are legitimate reasons for wanting to use a local account since Microsoft requires it for installation, such as if you're a small business repair shop or family tech repair guy, or if you're creating a second account for troubleshooting or wanting an administrator account to be local and your own account to have fewer privileges for security, or because you're on a computer with limited internet access (such as data and/or speed limits), those reasons stated in the article...aren't.

 

[BillyBuerger]

I ran into this recently trying to rebuild a laptop for my brother. Perfect example of when you don't want to use your own account to setup someone else's laptop. Freakin' Microsoft. Anyways, when I first rebuilt it with a new drive to test it, I got the account setup. Found online where they mention hitting Shift+F10 but then enter "oobe\bypassnro" at the command prompt. It reboots but then lets you skip connecting to a network and then using a local account. The second time with the actual new drive, I think I entered the password for my wifi wrong once or twice and all of the sudden it gave me the local login option. Not exactly sure what I did there but that that was even easier whatever it was.

 

[coromonadalix]

M$oft will surely do something about this loll they love to nag us ....

The shift f10 trick worked fine, and now with the iso's i download i use rufus for lower than i5 7500 cpu's and up too ...

 

[USAFRet]

All this freakout about an MS account makes me laugh.

Ya know, it does NOT have to be JoeBlow@microsoft.com.

My "MS account" is a rarely used gmail address. Yes, really.
Only used for license issues, or in the incredibly rare instances I need something from the MS Store.

Daily use on the PCs is via a local Standard user or local Admin user.

 

[RodroX]

So for a clean, new installation, Im guessing the unplug the ethernet cable or turn it Off the WiFi before starting Windows 11 install it does not work?

Like it works without issues on Windows 10 ?

 

[BillyBuerger]

So for a clean, new installation, Im guessing the unplug the ethernet cable or turn it Off the WiFi before starting Windows 11 install it does not work?

Like it works without issues on Windows 10 ?

Yup, it will sit there and wait for you to connect to the internet before continuing without using one of the work arounds.

 

[RodroX]

Yup, it will sit there and wait for you to connect to the internet before continuing without using one of the work arounds.

Oh!, those matuejkdskjlhsdsdñgjsdgfkrs!

 

[edzieba]

There is only one reason I have to use a local account rather than a MS account during setup: so my user folder path is C:\Users\[string I chose as the username]\ rather than C:\Users\[some arbitrary string derived from the MS account email address].
As soon as the install is done I sign in the the MS account anyway due to all the advantages it has (like no needing to mess about with license keys and activation), I just get to keep my nice folder name so I can be lazy and not need to modify any shortcuts/batch files.

 

[USAFRet]

There is only one reason I have to use a local account rather than a MS account during setup: so my user folder path is C:\Users\[string I chose as the username]\ rather than C:\Users\[some arbitrary string derived from the MS account email address].
As soon as the install is done I sign in the the MS account anyway due to all the advantages it has (like no needing to mess about with license keys and activation), I just get to keep my nice folder name so I can be lazy and not need to modify any shortcuts/batch files.

Different accounts will have different folder trees in /Users/.

Looking at my /Users/ folder right now, there are 4 different subfolders
The Admin User
The Standard user
Public
The MS account derivative. The first 5 chars of the account email.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Actually, the Shift+F10 does NOT bring up a command prompt on all systems. It SHOULD be noted in the article that on some systems it may be necessary to use Shift+Fn+F10, BUT, even that might not work as I just encountered a Lenovo Ideapad that refused to release the IP using your command prompt method. The no@thankyou.com method however DID work.

 

[BillyBuerger]

Actually, the Shift+F10 does NOT bring up a command prompt on all systems. It SHOULD be noted in the article that on some systems it may be necessary to use Shift+Fn+F10, BUT, even that might not work as I just encountered a Lenovo Ideapad that refused to release the IP using your command prompt method. The no@thankyou.com method however DID work.

While you might need to press shift+Fn+F10, that's only because many laptops makers decided to focus on media and shortcut keys over the F-keys and so the F-key exists on a layer accessed by the Fn key. By pressing the Fn key, you are just telling the keyboard to send a different key code. The keys still being sent to windows are Shift+F10. Windows doesn't know that your keyboard has a Fn key.

The oobe\bypassnro command has still continued to work for me. I just have to keep looking it up as I don't do it often enough to do it by memory.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Regardless, if it's necessary it should be mentioned. It doesn't matter why.

 

[pbfranon]

Excellent and worked fine. Thanks.

 

[Averum]

Once updated to the latest Win 11 release the back button will no longer be present. So if you buy something that is new (with the update installed) or you run recovery this will no longer work.

 

[USAFRet]

Once updated to the latest Win 11 release the back button will no longer be present. So if you buy something that is new (with the update installed) or you run recovery this will no longer work.

If you buy a new device with an OS preinstalled, there is no 'back'. There is nothing to go back to.
It has always been thus.

 

[Averum]

If you buy a new device with an OS preinstalled, there is no 'back'. There is nothing to go back to.
It has always been thus.

No. I had a back button before. There are plenty of screenshots online that show this. Including the ones in the article. However, OS updates remain intact post factory restore. So on my first restore, they had removed the option.

 

[USAFRet]

No. I had a back button before. There are plenty of screenshots online that show this. Including the ones in the article. However, OS updates remain intact post factory restore. So on my first restore, they had removed the option.

Oh.
I thought you meant some "before"...as in before the OS version that came with the system.

Like....it came with 22H2...you cannot go 'back' to 22H1.
That does not live on that system.


If it came with 22H1, and then you updated to 22H2...then maybe you can go back to 22H (within a certain time limit)

 

[RodroX]

If I am not mistaked, way back, with Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 there was a time limit. Pass that time you could not go back. I think it was around 30 days, or 20........ I don't know it was long time ago, and I don't feel like asking google.

 

[USAFRet]

If I am not mistaked, way back, with Windows 7/8/8.1 to Windows 10 there was a time limit. Pass that time you could not go back. I think it was around 30 days, or 20........ I don't know it was long time ago, and I don't feel like asking google.

Version reversion is different than Update reversion.

And the time limit has changed. 10 days, 30 days..

 

[NBV87]

I created a new Tom's Hardware account just so I could come here and say "THANK YOU!" The "no@thankyou.com" trick worked for me. I tried Shift-F10 first but W11 was unyielding in waiting for a re-connection.