Install Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account

intermediateSoftware Install5 minSystems & Environment

Independently tested and verified on Dec 14, 2025. Commands reproduced exactly as run.

Prerequisites

A working PC or laptop (this tutorial was verified on a Ryzen 9 3900X workstation)
A USB drive (8 GB+ for the Windows 11 ISO, or use Ventoy if you already have it set up)
Internet access to download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool

This tutorial takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Before you start

Windows 11 removes the normal "offline account" option from setup. When it detects a network connection, it forces you to sign in with a Microsoft account — no local account choice at all. This tutorial walks through installing Windows 11 completely offline and using a registry trick (BypassNRO) to bring back the local account path. No email, no tracking, full control.

You'll download the official ISO via Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, boot from it, apply the bypass during setup, and finish with a fully local Windows 11 Pro installation. This tutorial was verified on a Ryzen 9 3900X workstation.

Step 1: Download the Windows 11 ISO

Go to microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 and scroll down to Create Windows 11 installation media. Click Download now under Media Creation Tool for Windows 11.

Run mediacreationtool.exe from your downloads folder, click Yes when prompted by UAC, accept the license terms, then uncheck Use recommended options. Choose ISO file, pick your language and edition (select Windows 11 Pro), and save the ISO to your downloads folder.

Once it finishes, open the file location and close the tool.

Step 2: Copy the ISO to a Boot Drive

Copy the ISO to your Ventoy USB drive or NVMe boot drive. If you don't have Ventoy set up yet, you can use the Media Creation Tool to format a USB directly — but if you already have Ventoy, just drop the ISO file onto it like any other file.

Step 3: Configure BIOS Boot Order

Restart your PC and enter the BIOS by pressing F2, Del, F9, F10, F11, or F12 (the exact key depends on your motherboard or laptop — check its documentation if you're unsure).

Change the boot priority so your Ventoy USB loads first. Save and exit.

Step 4: Start Windows Installation

When Ventoy appears, select the Windows ISO and press Enter. Boot into normal mode.

Click your language, time format, and keyboard layout. Click Next, then click Install Now.

Product key screen — clicking "I don't have a product key"

Click "I don't have a product key". Choose Windows 11 Pro (it includes BitLocker, Remote Desktop, Hyper-V, and Group Policy — features Home lacks). Click Next.

Choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced). Select your target drive, click New, allocate the full size, then click Apply and OK. This creates all the necessary partitions. Select a primary partition and click Next.

Windows will now install and restart automatically.

Step 5: Apply the Registry Bypass

This is the critical part — don't skip any steps.

When the Windows setup screen appears (the one that asks for language, region, etc.), press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt.

Type regedit and press Enter. Navigate to this path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE

Registry editor showing the OOBE key path

Right-click in the right pane, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it BypassNRO, then hit Enter.

Right-click on BypassNRO again and click Modify. Set the value data to 1, then click OK.

BypassNRO DWORD set to 1

Close the registry editor. Back in the command prompt, type:

shutdown /r /t 0

and press Enter.

Shutdown command typed in the setup command prompt

Step 6: Complete Local Account Setup

Before the system restarts, disconnect the Ethernet cable or turn off Wi-Fi. This step is essential — if Windows detects internet at the OOBE stage, it will skip the local account option and force a Microsoft sign-in.

When the system comes back up, you'll see the OOBE again:

Select your region → click Yes.
Select your keyboard layout → click Next.
Skip adding a secondary keyboard layout (click Skip).
You should now see "Let's connect you to a network" — but since the network is disconnected, look for and click "I don't have internet".
Click "Continue with limited setup".

OOBE bypass confirmation screen

Enter a name for your PC (e.g., Desktop), click Next. Enter a password, click Next.

Turn off all the privacy settings — location, feedback, diagnostic data, etc. Click Accept on each one.

Privacy toggles — all set to Off

Windows 11 will now finish loading with a local account. You're in — no Microsoft sign-in required.

Step 7: Run Windows Update

Reconnect your internet and run Windows Update right away to secure your system. Install any pending updates, then reboot if prompted.

That's it — you've installed Windows 11 completely offline with a local account on Windows 11 Pro, verified on a Ryzen 9 3900X workstation. Your system is fully under your control, no forced Microsoft tracking.

Note: After this install, you may notice the wallpaper hasn't changed and dark mode isn't enabled yet. A follow-up tutorial covers how to unlock those settings — check the video description for the link.

FAQ

Starting with Windows 11, Microsoft removed the normal "offline account" option from the OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience). When the installer detects an active network connection — Ethernet or Wi-Fi — it skips local account creation entirely and forces you to sign in with a Microsoft account. That's why disconnecting the network before reaching the OOBE stage is essential: without internet, Windows falls back to the local account path.

The "I don't have a product key" screen lets you pick any edition. This tutorial uses Windows 11 Pro because it includes BitLocker (full-disk encryption), Remote Desktop (you can connect to the PC from elsewhere), Hyper-V (built-in virtualization), and Group Policy Editor — features Home lacks. If you're doing this for privacy and control, Pro is the right choice.

Ventoy is a multi-boot USB tool that lets you drop ISO files onto a regular FAT32-formatted drive and boot from them — no extraction or special formatting needed. It's not required; you can use the Media Creation Tool to format a USB directly. But if you already have Ventoy set up, it's faster: just copy the ISO file over. A full Ventoy setup guide is linked in the video description.

It varies by manufacturer — common keys are F2, Del, F9, F10, F11, and F12. The video mentions F9/F10/F11/F12 as examples. If you're unsure, check your motherboard or laptop's documentation, or look for a prompt on the first boot screen (it usually says something like "Press F2 to enter setup").

It opens a command prompt window at the OOBE stage. That's how you launch `regedit` and apply the registry bypass — without this shortcut, there's no way to run commands during the out-of-box experience. The path you need is `HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE`.

If Windows detects internet at the OOBE, it will skip the local account option and force a Microsoft sign-in — defeating the entire purpose of this tutorial. Disconnect Ethernet or turn off Wi-Fi *before* the system restarts after the registry edit. The bypass only works when there's no active connection.

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