Of the many minor to mid-sized ones that come with a modern installation of Windows 11, the requirement that you sign in with a Microsoft account is one of the most annoying. Of course, all operating systems (including Apple and Google) encourage account sign-in as part of their setup process and do not allow you to use several operating system features until you sign in.
Different authorized and unauthorized tools and workarounds Existed to allow users to set up their computers with old-fashioned local accounts, and these workarounds haven't changed much in the last three years. But Microsoft is working to tighten the screws on preview builds of Windows, foreshadowing some future version of Windows where getting around account requirements is even harder than it already is.
Yesterday, in a new update released to the Windows Insider Preview Dev Channel (build numbers 26220.6772), Microsoft announced that it was “removing known mechanisms for local account creation in the Windows Setup Experience (OOBE).” Microsoft says these workarounds “inadvertently skip critical setup screens, which may result in users leaving OOBE with a device that is not fully configured for use.”
The removed commands include the “Oobe\Bounkpasnro” workaround, which Microsoft announced it was removing earlier this year, as well as the “Start MS-CXH: Localonly” workaround, which was documented more recently. In current editions of Windows, users can open a Command Prompt window during setup using Shift+F10 and enter any of these commands to remove both the Microsoft account and Internet connection requirements.
Windows 11 Pro currently includes another workaround where you can specify that you plan to join your computer to a corporate domain and use that to create a local account. We don't know if this mechanism has also been removed from the new Windows build.
It's unclear what the “critical setup screens” refer to; When you use the workarounds to create a local account, Windows Setup Assistant still shows you all the screens you need to create an account and password, plus toggling a few basic privacy settings. Signing in with a Microsoft account does add a few screens to this process – these screens will try to sell Microsoft 365 and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions and opt you into features like features Recall Windows resets data on PCs that support it. I wouldn't describe any of them as “critical” from a user perspective, but my priorities are not Microsoft's.
