Microsoft is tightening the rules on how users set up Windows 11 by blocking all known ways to skip signing in with a Microsoft account. The newest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build (26220.6772) released in the Dev Channel removes the methods that allowed users to create a local account during setup.
Microsoft said it made this change because the old bypass tricks often skipped important setup steps (OOBE), leaving some devices not properly configured. Now, the company wants every user to complete the setup with an internet connection and a Microsoft account.
Earlier this year, Microsoft had already blocked the popular “bypassnro” command, which people used to set up a local account. After that, users found another trick using the “start ms-cxh:localonly” command — but that too seems to be patched now.
Still, users have discovered a new method that currently works in the latest build. To use it, disconnect your PC from the internet during setup, then press Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt and run the following commands:
textreg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
shutdown /r /t 0After restarting, you’ll be able to continue setup without signing in. Tools like Rufus also still offer an option to skip the Microsoft account during installation.
It’s another round of the cat-and-mouse game — as Microsoft blocks one workaround, the Windows community quickly finds another way around it.