How to create a local account when installing Windows 11?

Windows 10 available to consumers did not require you to set up a Microsoft account at the system installation stage. You also did not have to connect to the Internet, although over time users began to be forced to do so (all you had to do was not connect to the network). Windows 11 initially allowed this as well, but quite soon after its premiere it ceased to be possible.

Microsoft forces Windows 11 users to take both of the above-mentioned steps. How to skip them? There are trivial ways to do this, although there are some that worked before but no longer work on the latest (or all?) versions of the operating system. However, there is a simple method that will work on any of them and will allow you to set up a local account without connecting to the Internet. After all, we can lose access to the network at the least expected moment (including during system installation).

Find out how to bypass the Microsoft blockade and go through the Windows 11 installation wizard quickly and efficiently without the Internet or an online account.

Importantly, all the methods described below also work on the system preinstalled on desktops and laptops.

1. Go through the beginning of the Windows 11 installation process until you reach the country selection.
2. Press the Shift + F10 in some laptops Shift  + FN + F10 key combination, which will open the command prompt window. Some laptops such as Lenovo or Asus may be turned off the Shift button, so you may need to use an external keyboard.
3. In the command prompt, type the command: OOBE\BYPASSNRO and press Enter. This will block the requirement to connect to the Internet.
4. Wait for the computer to restart and continue in the installation wizard. In the Internet connection window, the option: I am not connected to the Internet will appear next to the Next button. Click it.
5. In the newly displayed window, select Continue with limited configuration.
6. Enter the username of your choice for the local account and continue.
7. Set a password for the local account and continue.
8. Complete the installation process without having to connect to the Internet and log in to your Microsoft account!

How to bypass internet connection when installing Windows 11?

In older versions of the Windows 11 operating system, there is another way that may work. Follow these steps:

1. Press Shift + F10 in some laptops Shift  + FN + F10 to open the command prompt in the Microsoft account configuration window.
2. Type the ipconfig/release command and confirm it with Enter.
3. Quickly click on the arrow in the upper left corner to return to the previous window of the installation wizard.
4. A window with the option to create a local account will appear.
5. Type the local username and set a password for it.
6. Complete the installation process.

However, it is possible that this method does not work on every version of the system (e.g. the latest ones). Know that it is also not necessary to enter the ipconfig/release command after the OOBE\BYPASSNRO command in the first of the methods I provided to turn off the internet, as some guides say.

How to create a local account when installing Windows 11?

What if the internet is on, but you don’t want to set up a Microsoft account right away when installing the Windows 11 operating system? There is (or rather was) an easy way to do that:

1. In the Microsoft account login window, enter any email address, as long as it’s structured correctly. It can even be chris@chris.com and proceed.
2. The wizard will ask you to enter a password. Enter anything, e.g. axyz and press Log in.
3. You will be informed of an error and an incorrect password for the specified account. Undaunted, press the Next button.
4. Voila: a window with the option to set up a local account should appear.
5. Set a username for the local account, enter a password and complete the system installation process.

However, as with the second method, the method described may no longer work on all versions of Windows 11. From my personal experience, after the error message, the window with the option to set up a local account in Windows 11 may not appear. In other words, the wizard does not want to proceed without logging in to the online account. However, you can try using it when you install, for example, an older system build.

If it doesn’t work, simply return to the first method, which at the time of writing is the easiest and proven way to skip the process of creating a Microsoft account and connecting to the Internet during the installation of the discussed operating system. Bypassing this requirement not only allows you to install Windows 11 without the Internet, but also you decide when you want to log in to your account.