Microsoft might have blocked a sneaky bypass that let you setup Windows 11 without a Microsoft Account

What you need to know

• Since 2021, Microsoft has required users to connect to the internet and link a Microsoft Account when setting up a Windows 11 PC.
• Users have found ways to bypass these requirements, but Microsoft has patched many of them.
• Now, Microsoft has patched what was arguably the most popular bypass which skipped linking a Microsoft Account when typing in a blocked email address.

Windows 11 requires just two things during setup: An internet connection and a Microsoft Account. If you don't have one or the other, you can't use your PC. At least, that's what Microsoft wants you to think. Ever since Windows 11 first debuted in 2021, users have found workarounds to these requirements.

The first discovered bypass involved killing a certain app process in Task Manager when sitting on the internet connection screen, which would take you straight to creating a local account. Microsoft was quick to patch this bypass, and now that method no longer works.

It was later discovered that typing in a blocked Microsoft Account email address and random password would error out the account linking process, and take you straight to creating a local account. This is the bypass that most people have been using, and usually works like a charm. Popular blocked email addresses people use include "no@thankyou.com," "a@a.com", and "example@example.com."

Now, it appears that bypass method has also been patched. When attempting to setup a new Windows 11 24H2 install today, I noticed that this process now loops back on the account linking page. This means it no longer takes you to a local account screen, forcing you to type in a working Microsoft Account email address and password.

This is the method I've always used, as it's convenient to connect to the internet during setup to grab any important updates before reaching the desktop, but without connecting to a Microsoft Account. You can still type OOBE\BYPASSNRO into Command Prompt during the Windows 11 setup experience, which lets you skip connecting to the internet and by extension linking a Microsoft Account. It's just an extra, annoying step that many people likely don't know exists.