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Install Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account

Set the local-account option into a Windows 11 image with NTLite so every install offers it, plus the manual OOBE workarounds that still work when BypassNRO is not working on 24H2 or 25H2.

Windows 11 setup (OOBE) asks you to connect to a network and sign in with a Microsoft account, and hides the local-account option behind that screen. BypassNRO is the switch that brings it back. Microsoft pulled the built-in script from some 2025 builds, and the manual routes keep shifting from one build to the next, which is why the old instructions stopped working and the reports of "bypassnro not working" keep coming. Set it once in the image with NTLite and every install offers a local account, no matter what the next build changes. If the media is already booted and it is too late for that, the by-hand routes for this one install are at the end.

Set It in the Image With NTLite

The local-account path becomes part of the media, so it applies on every machine you deploy from it, with nothing typed at setup time and nothing a future OOBE change can hide again. The Settings toggle is all you need; pre-creating the user on the Unattended page is an optional convenience that turns the setting on for you.

Settings Page: Enable BypassNRO

  1. Load your Windows 11 image in NTLite
  2. Open the Settings page
  3. Under the System category, enable "Local user account setup support (BypassNRO)"
  4. Go to Apply → Process

Available on Windows 11 21H2 and newer. On a machine installed from that media, OOBE offers "I don't have internet" at the network screen and takes you to local-account creation from there - no keyboard shortcut, no command, and no network needed to get past it. The setting persists in the image, so every install built from it behaves that way. Save it as a preset and the same applies to next month's rebuild.

Unattended Page: Pre-create the Local Account

The setting above is enough on its own. If you also want to skip the account screen entirely, the Unattended page pre-creates the user: enable the page, then use Add local account to define the username and password, optionally enabling the built-in Administrator or auto-logon.

Defining a local account this way applies the BypassNRO unlock for you, so OOBE no longer forces a Microsoft account and the account exists before first boot.

Tip: combine this with the other Unattended options (regional settings, OOBE prompts) to fully automate setup. Autofill Premium can pre-populate these fields from the host system.

Already Standing at the Setup Screen

Media that is already booted cannot be changed, so this one install is done by hand. At the network or sign-in screen press Shift+F10 to open a Command Prompt, then:

  1. Run oobe\bypassnro. The machine reboots into an OOBE offering "I don't have internet" at the network screen.
  2. If the command is not recognized, run start ms-cxh:localonly instead to open the local-account window. If it does not show up, press Alt+Tab - it is likely sitting behind the setup screen.

Next Steps

Save the change as a preset and reuse it on every build. Download NTLite to get started, and see the Unattended and Settings reference pages for the full option set. Building a leaner image at the same time? The Windows Lite ISO guide covers component removal on the same media.

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