14 DAY TRIAL // The latest Windows 11 preview builds come with a requirement that not everybody is a big fan of. Microsoft has made a Microsoft account mandatory on both Windows 11 Home and Pro, so in theory, sticking with a local account is no longer possible.
But at the end of the day, this isn’t by any means accurate.
Sticking with a local account is indeed harder, but not impossible. And Neowin has recently discovered another way to bypass the requirement in a ridiculously simple way.
The workaround pretty much comes down to using a fake email address (and an associated password). As it turns out, if you’re using a fake email address that has already been blocked, Windows 11 still allows users to continue the setup and create a local account.
Once they log in to the desktop, Windows 11 isn’t showing any prompts to set up a Microsoft account, so users can continue using the operating system with a local account (and obviously an Internet connection as well).
The wording used by Microsoft, however, suggests that using a Microsoft account is the best way to experience what Windows 11 has to offer in the first place.
“Similar to Windows 11 Home edition, Windows 11 Pro edition now requires internet connectivity during the initial device setup (OOBE) only. If you choose to setup device for personal use, MSA will be required for setup as well. You can expect Microsoft Account to be required in subsequent WIP flights,” Microsoft said earlier this month.
Of course, there’s always a chance that Microsoft blocks this workaround, but on the other hand, I expect more ways to bypass the new requirements to be discovered rather sooner than later, especially as not everybody is pleased with being forced to use a Microsoft account in Windows 11.