Windows 11 favors Microsoft accounts over local accounts. A recent update removes the ability to create local accounts without internet. Third-party tools like Rufus can still create local accounts ...

Microsoft blocks known OOBE workarounds that create local-only accounts. OOBE now requires an internet connection and a Microsoft account; skipping may result in misconfigured devices, argues the ...

Of the many minor to medium-size annoyances that come with a modern Windows 11 installation, the requirement that you sign in with a Microsoft account is one of the most irritating. Sure, all ...

There are multiple ways to divert around Windows 11's insistence on a Microsoft account for first-time setup. It seems there'll be one less in the near future, however, as the latest Windows 11 ...

Microsoft's latest Insider Preview, Build 26220.6772, introduces a significant policy change: removal of known workarounds to skip Microsoft Account setup during Windows 11 installation (OOBE).

Microsoft really doesn’t want you creating a local account on Windows 11. Microsoft really doesn’t want you creating a local account on Windows 11. is a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has ...

There are plenty of people, for plenty of reasons, who really don’t want to sign into their copy of Windows 11 using a Microsoft account, no matter how seamless an experience this brings to the ...

One of the downgrades that Windows 10 users experience when moving to Windows 11, especially when clean-installing the newer operating system, is the inability to create a local account and set up ...

The company recently removed the last remaining workaround using the command BYPASSNRO, which previously allowed users to bypass the requirement by tricking the system into thinking there was no ...

Microsoft is blocking another way to choose a local account in Windows 11. You'd force a local account by disconnecting from the network. The block is currently in place in the latest Windows 11 ...