MS Intensifies Push for Windows 11 Online Accounts
Microsoft is intensifying its long-standing push to require a Microsoft account for Windows 11 (a sign on with an email address) versus using a local account which does not require an email address. It's reportedly disabling popular workarounds used to create local accounts, an option many users prefer for privacy and simplicity.
In a recent preview build released to developers, the company has removed methods that allowed users to bypass the mandatory online sign-in, signaling a stricter enforcement of its policy.
Closing Installation Loopholes
According to reports on the latest Windows Insider build, specific command-line tricks that have been a staple for tech-savvy users are being eliminated. The command line is a text-based interface for running commands directly on an operating system. It is often used by advanced users for administrative tasks, such as applying these workarounds to customize a Windows installation.
The update removes the well-known "OOBE\BYPASSNRO" command, along with a more recent method, which previously allowed a user to proceed with a local account and avoid the need for an Internet connection during a Windows installation. (Source: windowscentral.com)
Microsoft's official reason for removing these bypasses is that they can cause users to "inadvertently skip critical setup screens," potentially leading to an improperly configured device. However, observers note that the screens being skipped are often promotional, encouraging users to subscribe to services like Microsoft 365 and Xbox Game Pass or to enable data-gathering features such as Windows Recall.
An Unwavering Policy
This move is the latest in a series of steps to make the online account non-negotiable, a requirement first introduced for Windows 11 Home edition and later expanded. While it's currently unclear if a workaround for Windows 11 Pro users has also been removed, the overall trend is clear.
The push for online accounts extends beyond new installations, as Microsoft is also leveraging it for Windows 10 support. To qualify for Extended Security Updates (ESU) past the 2025 end-of-life date, Windows 10 users will be required to sign in with a Microsoft account (which requires an email address) to enroll their machines in the program. (Source: arstechnica.com)
While these changes are currently in a developer preview build with no confirmed timeline for a public release, they signal Microsoft's firm direction. The company appears determined to integrate its cloud services deeply into the Windows experience, prioritizing this goal over user preferences for offline accounts.
What's Your Opinion?
What are your thoughts on Microsoft making an online account mandatory for Windows 11? Does this requirement affect your trust in the company? Will this policy change how you plan to manage future PC upgrades or purchases?
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Comments
Three other options not mentioned
I have seen a lot of writeups about the OOBE\BYPASSNRO command prompt 'hack' to bypass the required Microsoft Passport account in order to install Windows 11, however, there may be other options that will work:
1. Unplug the ethernet cable (Internet) when installing Windows 11. It can't ask you to sign on with your MS Passport account if it can't connect to the Internet to check to see if it exists. I have used this 'trick' many times previously.
2. After logging in with a Microsoft Passport account, create a local account and then delete the user account associated with your Microsoft Passport account.
3. Download Windows 11 using the Media Creation Tool and then use Rufus to modify the ISO as it writes it back to USB as bootable Windows Installation Media with the option of disabling a Microsoft Passport account.
I don't understand why we can't have choices
It's all a bit ridiculous. Even after someone sets up a machine using a Microsoft account, they can just use a local account later. On Windows 10 I even have my local account that I used to set up the machine linked with my Microsoft account so I can back up settings and such. It's like some sort of hybrid.
Quite frankly, forcing people to use what they don't want to use just so they can have advertising shoved in their faces should be illegal, especially when there are claims that important steps are skipped when it's all just advertising and not essential for anything to function. People should be given a choice. If they want to use a Microsoft account to sign in to their machines, they will. If they don't, they won't. If someone already has a Microsoft account and just wants to link it with a local account, they'll do that assuming it's still doable on Windows 11.
I am so tired of this garbage.
Choices?
well, of course the biggest choice is to tell MS to pound sand. go to LINUX or Chrome OS or one of MANY other opsys.
my problem with that "choice" is I have so many apps that only run on Windows and I can't afford to give them up. what I really would like is a completely duplicated version of Windows that doesn't have an relaionship to money-grubbing MS.
as long as the upgades and updates allowed me to continue using my older equipment, I was okay withusing their OS. but now that MS wants us to purchase new equipment just so they can ge thatlicense fee from the makers - pfft I will need to review my requirements and perhaps even go back to pushing a pencil.