Microsoft is tightening its management over how customers set up and configure Home windows 11successfully making a web-based Microsoft account obligatory. The corporate has began blocking all identified strategies that beforehand allowed customers to create native accounts or bypass the login requirement throughout setup. This shift marks a major step towards imposing a cloud-connected expertise for all Home windows 11 customers.
The change was recognized in construct 26220.6772 (KB5065797)launched to the Home windows Insider program on October 6. In keeping with Microsoft, the choice comes after discovering that most of the unofficial workarounds—used to put in Home windows 11 with out signing in—may inadvertently skip vital setup screens, resulting in incomplete or unstable configurations.
New Home windows Preview makes preliminary setup with no Microsoft account harder (Picture: Microsoft)
In sensible phrases, native account setup has been almost eradicated. Beforehand, customers may make use of instructions similar to begin ms-cxh:localonly or scripts like bypassnro.cmd to keep away from logging in with a Microsoft account. These shortcuts have now been completely disabled, with the corporate explicitly confirming their elimination. Microsoft acknowledged that the objective is to make sure every Home windows 11 set up is carried out with an energetic web connection and Microsoft accountguaranteeing a “full and safe setup course of.”
This replace signifies that all customers should now register on-line when configuring Home windows 11 for the primary time. The corporate emphasizes that this integration ensures seamless synchronization with providers similar to OneDrive, Microsoft Retailerand cloud-based settingsforming a part of its broader technique to tie the working system extra tightly to its ecosystem.
Whereas technically nonetheless doable, making a native account now requires performing a customized set up utilizing specialised instruments to switch the Home windows picture earlier than setup. This technique is meant just for superior customers with technical experience, because it includes enhancing system recordsdata and bypassing customary set up procedures.
Microsoft has been step by step implementing these restrictions over time. Earlier in 2025, it had already blocked offline installations by way of USB gadgetsand now, with this replace, the requirement for an web connection and Microsoft account is nearly absolute.
For these unwilling to conform, the one remaining official choice is to proceed utilizing Home windows 10which will stay supported and free for upgrades for at the very least one other yr in areas like Europe. Nonetheless, with every new construct, Microsoft is making it more and more clear that Home windows 11 is designed to operate as a linked platformthe place cloud integration and consumer identification by Microsoft accounts are non-negotiable.
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