Practical tip: Install Windows 11 without a Microsoft account

When installing Windows 11, for the first time in the history of the operating system, it is mandatory to connect to a network and thus to set up an online account including a password. Fortunately, you can avoid this with a little trick.

Yes, switching from one Windows version to the next was still possible without a certain adjustment. Problem: Humans are creatures of habit. Many users save the whole thing, not without reason, until there is no other option and Microsoft forces it to do so. The current situation is similar when switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11. New design, changed menus, annoying setup: There are many reasons why only around 16%* of global users will be using the new Windows in January 2022. After all, Windows 10 is still running smoothly, gets regular updates and you have simply gotten used to it.

Setting up Windows 11 without Internet and password is actually no longer planned

With Windows 11, Microsoft has not only changed the layout and design, but the display of the options with a normal right-click looks completely different, and the system settings are also sometimes even more difficult to find than before. For example, you can no longer get to the task manager by right-clicking on the taskbar. However, the new hurdles already begin with the setup, because this is actually not feasible without an available Internet.

Even if you haven’t switched to Windows 11 on your desktop PC yet, you can’t really avoid the next generation when you buy a new notebook with Windows 11 preinstalled – by the way, that’s probably how a large part of the 16%* comes about. You then need some form of internet for the setup, whether via Ethernet or WLAN. That shouldn’t be a problem for most people. On the other hand, it is much more annoying that the connection to the Internet automatically involves setting up an online account. Microsoft actually no longer intends to create a local account without a linked e-mail address for the computer.

How to install Windows 11 without a Microsoft account

Luckily there are a few smart people out there who have found a way to bypass the installation with an online account anyway. You can find out exactly how this works with the following steps:

1. First, you select your country and the corresponding language as well as the keyboard layout as usual.
2. Once you have reached the selection of the WLAN, open the command prompt with the key combination “(fn+)Shift+F10”. The function key (fn) is only necessary if a special function such as “increase display brightness” is assigned to F10 on your notebook.
3. There you type in the command “taskkill /F /IM oobenetworkconnectionflow.exe”, then confirm with the Enter key.
4. The selection of the Internet connection is then skipped and the setup step opens in the background, in which you have to accept the license agreement.
5. You can close the command prompt and continue setup with a local account.
6. Once on the desktop, you can activate your corresponding WiFi with a click on the taskbar at the bottom right and then run the Windows updates.

Of course, we have also prepared the whole thing as a photo love story, which you can go through step by step below without commercial breaks. Did the practical tip help you or do you have further questions? Then please write us a comment.