Can you install Windows 11 home without a MS account?

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In a word YES. There are several ways to do it. The key way around the issue is to either close down a certain screen at a certain time using Alt-F4 t
[See the full post at: Can you install Windows 11 home without a MS account?]

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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ve2mrx, Fred, scoobydoo, Tom-R

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The advantage of installing Windows without logging in is that you can choose the account name that YOU want, and not the one that MS assigns to you, using the first five characters of your MS account log-in name.

Dell E5570 Latitude, Intel Core i5 6440@2.60 GHz, 8.00 GB - Win 10 Pro

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Cybertooth

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It’s good news to hear that even Home users can setup Windows 11 without being forced to use a Microsoft Account.  But it’s so sad — and makes me mad as hell — that Microsoft makes it next to impossible for the average user to figure out how to do that.  Why can’t MS get it thru their thick skulls that a lot of folks want to setup their own personal PC with just a plain old standard local account?  (Let me answer that — they just don’t care.)

It’s one thing to recommend to users that they setup their computer with a Microsoft account.  It’s crossing a line though when they do everything possible to try to coerce users into it.  I would love to see the FTC investigate this tactic as a possible anti-trust act.  Or perhaps the EU could take some action against MS for violating the GDPR data protection regs.  Whatever it takes I just hope some government agency with enough clout steps up and puts a stop to this.

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I fully agree with you, but a guess at Microsoft’s rationale:

The main thing is that they own Windows and can do whatever they want with it. You’re providing a physical computer, but your access to Windows is merely a license to use (which you agree to when you click Accept on the EULA offer).

One of the primary differences between Home and Pro editions is that the Pro edition allows the option of user or organizational management of the computer.  Hence, the availability of Group Policy Manager in Pro, as well as some measure of being able to decline/defer updates pushed by Microsoft, but not Home.  And the ability of working without a Microsoft ID. With a Home installation, they have decided that they are going to manage the machine, and they do so based on their own priorities.

Especially noteworthy is the fiasco that happened at 1903, of semi-annual upgrades erasing user data. In Microsoft’s view, since the problem was limited to users running Home editions, and some early adopters running Pro (that did not defer updates).  Because the problem was fixed before general roll-out to Enterprise users and official designation as “Ready for Business”, the 1903 deployment was considered a success (even if it caused annoying problems to small-scale users) because the problem was caught before it affected Enterprise users.

Thus, expectation of Microsoft IDs? Check.  Immediate updates applied as soon as they’re available from Microsoft? Check. Lack of ability to control the system to user-specified preferences? Check.

Unfortunately, if you’re not paying $$$$ for Enterprise licenses, they really don’t care that much about you.  Thank you sir, may I have another?

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[ve2mrx]

I agree, this is the typical capitalist monopolistic way of using user’s need of your product to force them to meet your capitalist desires.

If you’re small, you are the product. If you are bigger, you are the product but with a voice proportional to the money you give. Exactly the same as what Facebook does. The OS hasn’t been designed for the needs of the users since Windows 8. I sorely miss Windows 7!

<insert_deity_here>, please take me from this hell!

Martin

Update: Give users just enough so they don’t get motivated to switch to another OS. Same as what’s been going on for at least the last century to keep the worker class from revolting against the powers in place!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by ve2mrx. Reason: Additional note

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Probably a non starter I know.. you can up the version from home to ro, but the reverse with DISM..

But..

Assuming You still get an ISO from which you can get the install.esd file with W11, what happens if you install the product you do have, with a UEFI BIOS configuration and recommended GPT partition layout so the firmware is doing the boot process and driver provisioning..

Then use Dism /Get-ImageInfo /imagefile:e:\sources\install.esd (but use the right path and file extension, obviously!) and take a note of the image number for the version of Windows you want..

Then reboot the recovery media to a command prompt, format the C drive (which with more recent configurations such as those where the OS has bitlocker enabled, has to be done through diskpart) and then apply that desired image to the drive with DISM in the usual manner, for example image 4 and recovery media still in drive e:

DISM.exe /Apply-Image /ImageFile:e:\sources\install.esd  /ApplyDir:c: /Index:4

Something strange might happen when you reboot, Might not. if you’re ready to install you could give it a go. That said I never actually used the result, just hinting at something strange which happened with W10.

Oh dear I forgot to log in, but your suspicions are probably correct.

 

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Download Windows 11 (microsoft.com) You can download the ISO there. I’m not quite sure I follow what you are doing?

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Hi.

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility, that as this ‘hack’ has been disclosed; that MS will be looking for a way to inhibit the ‘hack’ ?

ANON.

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It’s been there since the beta.  Like the “wink wink” go ahead and install it on non supported platforms, this won’t be going away.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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I am on Win10/Pro 21H1 right now and my laptop (with an 8th generation CPU) is compatible/eligible for Windows 11

When/if I want to move to Windows 11, can I change TRV to Windows 11, 21H2 (or maybe Windows 11, 22H1) and then automatically be offered Windows 11 to install?

I log into this Win10/Pro machine with a local account, but I do have an MS-account because I have another laptop (with a 6th generation CPU) that got set up with a MS-account. However, I would like to keep this laptop on a local account on Windows 11, too.

So, would I follow the directions for disconnecting from the ethernet in order to keep it on a local account?
Secondly, the laptop is not connected to the internet with an ethernet connection (I have no plug to pull), but instead it is connected to the internet via a Wi-Fi connection. So, is switching to airplane mode the equivalent of disconnecting from the ethernet?

As you can see, I know very little about how to move to Windows 11 on this device.
Any suggestions on how to go about it?

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Yes, changing the TRV setting in Group Policy to “Windows 11” and the version you want (20H2, etc) will signify to Windows Update that you want to upgrade.
BUT
You still may have to wait for MS to make it available to your computer, unless you want to be a seeker or download the ISO and install over the top. Any of those methods should allow you to keep your current account and choose to keep your programs/data.

If you leave TRV at Windows 10, you are telling Windows Update you want to STAY on Win10.

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[Bob99]

@WCHS –

I can confirm what @PKCano (just above) and Susan (below) are saying, in that to get offered Windows 11 by Windows Update while currently running Windows 10, all you need to do on the Pro version of Windows is to go into Group Policy and change the TRV settings to Windows 11 for the “…Windows product version…” and to 21H2 for the “Target Version for Feature Updates” from what it’s currently set to (Windows 10 and 21H1, for example).

Remember, just because it’s offered doesn’t necessarily mean it will successfully install. How do I know?? Well, I already tried changing the settings just to see what would happen and, when I launched wushowhide, I was offered the upgrade to 11 in the list of updates to hide. Interestingly, when I changed the GP settings to Windows 11 and the target version to 21H1 from 21H2, I was also offered the Windows 11 upgrade!

If I’d taken the “bait”, the installation would’ve been unsuccessful because, although I meet the hardware criteria with 9th generation Intel CPU and plenty of RAM, etc. etc., I do not have UEFI enabled and due to that I don’t have the boot drive set as GPT, but only MBR. Those two items would be the snow-stoppers in my case, and that is a subject for another forum/thread, not to be continued on this one, please.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 6 months ago by Bob99.

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WCHS wrote:

When/if I want to move to Windows 11, can I change TRV to Windows 11, 21H2 (or maybe Windows 11, 22H1) and then automatically be offered Windows 11 to install?

You will be offered Windows 11 when Microsoft will decide to offer you the upgrade.
You can always try ‘check for update’ from WUmgr app.

So, would I follow the directions for disconnecting from the ethernet in order to keep it on a local account?

Upgrading won’t change your log-in accounts.
The ‘Microsoft account hack’ for home versions apply only to clean installs.

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Alex5723 wrote:

You will be offered Windows 11 when Microsoft will decide to offer you the upgrade.

If I understand how TRV works, it won’t offer me an upgrade to Windows 11 because I have TRV set to Windows 10, 21H1 right how. In view of that, I don’t think it will offer me Windows 11 ever. Or am I mistaken about this?

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Correct, you would need to change the operating system section to Windows 11.  As long as you have Windows 10, it won’t offer you 11.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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I believe it won’t upgrade to Windows 11, but on my machine with Windows 10 TRV settings, I DID get the system check for Windows 11, which wouldn’t let me check my system’s readiness because of TRV…

One more proof of Microsoft’s half-baked work!

Martin

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Would the same technique works using wifi not Ethernet?

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Correct.  Disable wifi/ethernet.  Bottom line when you get to that Microsoft account screen it just can’t be on the Internet, so disable it whatever way you can.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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ve2mrx, Cybertooth

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Susan Bradley wrote:

so disable it whatever way you can.

and in wi-fi mode, you disable the internet by switching to airplane mode? If not this way, how?

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Disconnect your Router.

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@sb –

One question, Susan, to maybe help clarify things a bit:

Do folks on Windows 10 Pro who decide to upgrade to 11 have to go through the same rigamarole of disconnecting their Internet connection in order to have a local account in Windows 11, or will the upgrader respect their current account settings of being a local account and not bother them with having to establish an online account?

The reason I ask is that the images in the referenced article make it look as if they’re doing a clean installation instead of an upgrade, even though they do compare Home’s experience to Pro’s experience.

For those on Home, I think this is a fantastic, very easy, option.  Since the realmicentral piece you referred to in your post was written back in mid-June, I take it they were using one of the betas for their testing since 11 wasn’t officially released until October?

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I was referring to changing the OS version when you have incorrect media as i thought the bugbear seemed to be Pro was fine.. home was stopping at networking.

Does this get you to an administrator desktop so you can disable the networking or maybe alt-F10 command prompt might be useful? (though altering setup config files in setup is probably going to cause some strange behaviour..)

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/boot-windows-to-audit-mode-or-oobe?view=windows-11

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this seems like another good tip for now or future forced win 11 users, like my terrible trouble trying to find info on stopping the upgrade on the forums or articles, alot of good tips and info for upgrades for home users and what to avoid and the process just cantg be found for none tech people, can their ever be a folder/topic with just good info or downloads like reg file ( changed from jan post by ? to susans post for downloading to stop)  that u can read/search to look for info and solutions? as i dont wont to upgrade, if i have to , this is good tips info and directions for non techies but will be buried when in the future i need to look or remember that this is helpful if i have to upgrade

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Why Does W11 require Internet connected to start? So it can do it’s initial telemetry dump?

Moral: Don’t buy W11 Home.

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Two reasons:

1. they want a Microsoft account
2. They want to have the OS get any additional setup patches to get installed.  Especially early on these updates fix any driver interactions.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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When I did a clean install for Windows 10 I disconnected my router altogether.

First of all, I don’t want Windows 11 on this laptop. If I wanted it I would purchase a new computer or maybe not at all. Have not decided yet.

Three questions:

1. Can you disconnect the laptop from the internet connection in your home rather than cutting out the internet all together? It’s just that the router will have to reboot and why go through that if it is not necessary.
2. If you already have Windows 10 home on a local account, will it ask you for a Microsoft account on an existing laptop, meaning not a clean install, as the Windows 11 is installing and upgrading over the Windows 10 on your laptop (not a clean install).
3. If I do not want Windows 11, is the registry edit available to keep on Windows 10 version 21h2 (November latest and last update for Windows 10), likewise if Windows 11 is in the Feature update, can I opt not to install it?

Thanks for the information.

Win 10 Home 22H2

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1. Just hit the button on the keyboard to temp disable the wifi.
2. It will not force you to make a Microsoft account during the upgrade process.
3. Yes just use the Windows 10 registry keys to block Windows 11 (see  Topic: 6000003 Registry keys and group policy settings to select specific feature @ AskWoody
4. If your hardware is Windows 11 worthy, you can opt to not install it, but the “no thanks” is a bit shaded out and hard to see, but it’s there.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Is a clean install of Windows 11 better than an install over Windows 10? What might govern the choice?

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Clean install wipes everything while upgrade can keep apps and data.
With clean install you may have to download and re-install drivers and other components from your PC’s OEM…

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Windows Home users can add GPEdit to any Windows version with
PolicyPlus app.

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It doesn’t do anything though. So it’s kinda worthless.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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I could see this requirement being a huge pain in the future if doing a clean install using networking hardware for which Windows 11 doesn’t include drivers.

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Perhaps it might be OK with windows 11 to add drivers from the older edition of Windows if you back them up?

before updating to Windows 11, (elevated CMD),

md c:\olddrivers

pnputil /export-driver * c:\olddrivers

then one you have W11, check the inf files in the olddrivers folder for the drivers you lack and add them, or maybe grab the lot and let Windows decide. Unfortunately some old drivers no longer work, as MS changed policy on some driver signing before W11 was released (I can’t see Windows 11 accepting drivers not allowable on an older Windows version, so I suspect  some gaps are just inevitable if you try to use those on Windows 11..)

pnputil /add-driver c:\olddrivers\*.inf /s

 

driver signing:

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/windows-hardware-certification/changes-to-driver-signing-for-windows-7-windows-server-2008-r2/ba-p/2460039

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/install/deprecation-of-software-publisher-certificates-and-commercial-release-certificates

 

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Susan Bradley wrote:

It doesn’t do anything though. So it’s kinda worthless.

It does everything promised.

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In my testing it only added the mmc, it doesn’t actually control and set the group policy on a Home PC.  Thus registry keys are needed.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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upgrading from 10 with local account via WU does not try to force you to setup a MS account

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Susan Bradley wrote:

In my testing it only added the mmc, it doesn’t actually control and set the group policy on a Home PC.  Thus registry keys are needed.

Susan, You are sure we refer to the same app ?

Policy Plus is intended to make the power of Group Policy settings available to everyone.

Run and work on all Windows editions, not just Pro and Enterprise
Comply fully with licensing (i.e. transplant no components across Windows installations)
View and edit Registry-based policies in local GPOs, per-user GPOs, individual POL files, offline Registry user hives, and the live Registry
Navigate to policies by ID, text, or affected Registry entries
Show additional technical information about objects (policies, categories, products)
Provide convenient ways to share and import policy settings..

To edit a policy, double-click it. If the selected setting applies to both users and computers, you can switch sections with the “Editing for” drop-down. Click OK to keep the changes to the setting. Notice: If a policy source is backed by a POL file (like Local GPO), changes to it will not be committed to disk until you use File | Save Policies (Ctrl+S)…

Special considerations for use on Home editions

Some administrative templates are present by default on these editions, but many are missing. The newest full package can be downloaded from Microsoft and installed with Help | Acquire ADMX Files…

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The reasons for the signing changes become evident – given the likely service life Windows 11 is likely to be OEM on newer generation firmware as well when it plausibly becomes the backbone for a server product:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-secured-core-servers-help-prevent-ransomware-attacks/

So that’s why Windows 11 needs TPM2?

 

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Others might have run into this too but in trying this approach on a new Windows 11 Home laptop, I could find no technique (unplugging as above, alt f4, etc.) that would bypass the Microsoft account. It would detect the dropped internet and stick waiting on it to come back. It appears that Microsoft has been actively closing these loopholes. I’m hoping I can disable the Microsoft account after establishing my other accounts on the laptop. I’ve upgraded it to 11 Pro, so maybe that will make it more flexible? Will have to see.

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I do seem to recall seeing/reading that, once you have established another account on the machine as a Local account, you can then dump the Microsoft account if you wish. BUT, make sure that there is an Administrator-level account that can be used on the machine. This Administrator-level account does not have to be a Microsoft account.

So, to sum up:

Step 1: Logon with MS account.

Step 2: Create a Local (non-MS) account.

Step 3: Make sure that you have at least one account on the machine that has Administrator-level privileges. If you need to, create another Local (non-MS) account that has these privileges.

Step 4: Dump (delete) the MS account from the machine.

The reason for the Administrator-level account is that sometimes you’ll need to install an update that will require these permissions to install properly. Things such as driver updates and Microsoft’s monthly updates for Windows are just a couple of examples.

It is generally frowned upon to run with an Administrator account as your “daily driver” due to potentially picking up an unwanted piece of crapware during surfing or other activities despite your best efforts. If this happens when you’re using a User level account, there’s a LOT less that the miscreant malware can do than if you’re running as an administrator. In many cases, the crapware will be prevented from running at all!

 

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Thanks, that is what I was planning, though I’m a bit leery about deleting the MS account. I have no real objection to logging out of it and not logging into it again unless needed, assuming that doesn’t screw up the local account function. I’ll update with what I find out.

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I set up a new Dell laptop last week with Win11 HOME  OEM. Using a fake email addresse (like no@thankyou.com or who@example.com) with any password will still result in the opportunity to create a Local ID instead of a Microsoft ID.

According to what I’ve read, that is the only “simple” trick that is still left to circumvent MS.

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ENShearin, thanks for the report here.  But I’m curious.  When you said you could find no technique to bypass the MS Account requirement, does that include the method of not just unplugging the Internet connection, but also (in addition to that) using Shift+F10 during the setup process, and entering the command “oobe\bypassnro” at the command prompt?

Please refer to the video link here — specifically starting at about the 2-minute mark — for a more complete description of the method that I’m asking about:

• How to Install Windows 11 without a Microsoft Account

Supposedly, removing Internet access along with adding “oobe\bypassnro” should force the Windows 11 Setup process to reboot the system and continue without prompting for any Microsoft account.  I’m just wondering if that method no longer works.

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As others have pointed out, use the fake email trick as that for sure still works.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Susan Bradley wrote:

There are several ways to do it.

From YouTube: Windows 10 Microsoft account bypass.

Windows 11 Microsoft account bypass.

There are many more videos for this.  Just do a YouTube search.

Bear in mind that the OOBE setup user is a member of the Administrators group.  If you intend to setup a standard user account, use something like “Admin” for the name during installation, then create your standard user account after Windows is up and running.

Always create a fresh drive image before making system changes/Windows updates; you may need to start over!

We were all once "Average Users". We all have our own reasons for doing the things that we do to our systems, we don't need anyone's approval, and we don't all have to do the same things.

Computer Specs

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geekdom

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