IT Tips & Tricks: Setting up a Windows 11 PC without creating a Microsoft account October 18, 2023 – Posted in: IT Support, IT Tips & Tricks – Tags: Local Account, Tricks, Windows 11
So you’ve just bought a new Windows 11 laptop, maybe you want to join it to a local domain, maybe you don’t have or want a Microsoft account, or maybe you just don’t want to use your Microsoft account to log into your computer. With your Windows 10 laptop you booted it up, chose your geographic area, made it to the sign in screen and there was a little link in the bottom left you could click to say sign in with a local account. There were dire warnings about the features you’d miss out on and the terrible consequences, but you could do it.
Later Windows 10 devices would only show the link if you ran through the initial setup without connecting to the internet. You’d get to the connection page and there would be that little link in the bottom left to go through the (not recommended) offline (seriously Microsoft don’t want you to do this) setup.
But Windows 11 doesn’t offer you either. You can’t get past the connect to the internet page without a connection, there is no little link in the bottom left on the sign in page. It seems that logging in with a Microsoft account is now unavoidable. Unless…
If you run through the initial setup, connect to the internet with a cable or set the WiFi connection not to connect automatically, and make it to the sign in page devoid of it’s helpful little link. Remove the internet cable if you connected with one, hold Shift and F10 to open a command prompt. Don’t panic. Type in (or copy and paste) oobe\bypassnro hit enter and your PC will restart.
You will have to run through the setup again, and this time when you get to the internet connection page DO NOT CONNECT. Click the new little link that has appeared: I don’t have internet.
Click continue with limited setup and the create a local account option will appear, complete with more dire warnings, and you can create a local account for your new Windows 11 computer.
If you’re looking for a company to help you set up new computers and provide any other IT Support you might need, give us a call on 01245 265 100 or email us at