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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).

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 ...

Microsoft is removing known workarounds for local account creation in Windows 11 setup (OOBE), effectively making a Microsoft Account (MSA) mandatory for most users. The company cites proper ...

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 ...

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 ...

If you already use a local account, the Windows 11 upgrade won't require you to use a Microsoft account. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it ...

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 ...