Microsoft forces you to use a Microsoft account when setting up a new Windows. But many people don't have a Microsoft account or don't want to use this account on their computer. Fortunately, the new Windows 11 (Home 24H2) works like previous Windows 11 versions. As a result, a Microsoft account is not required to use the operating system. But to get this benefit some strategies have to be adopted.
The safest way to install a new Windows setup is to download the Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft's official website. Then make a USB drive bootable. These tasks can be easily done using Microsoft's own tools.
Follow the steps below to install Windows 11 (Home 24H2) on a computer without a Microsoft account—
1. To install Windows 11 on your computer or notebook, first start the computer and go to the boot menu (press Esc, F2, F10, F12 or Del on the keyboard depending on the computer) and select the installation file stored on the USB drive or elsewhere. Then select the 'Install Windows 11' option under 'Select Setup Options'.
2. At some point during the installation process, you will be asked to log in with a Microsoft account. But I will skip it.
3. Now press 'Shift + F10' together on the keyboard. If installing Windows on a notebook, you may need to press Shift + Fn + F10. This will open the command prompt window.
4. This requires creating a local user (ie an account without a Microsoft account) at the command prompt. Use this command for −
net user “thomas”/add
Here “thomas” can be any username of your choice. However, the username must be different from the previously used username.
5. Then add the username to the local Administrators group. Use this command for −
net localgroup “Administrators” “thomas”/add
6. Then issue two more commands −
cd oobe
msoobe. exe && shutdown -r
After running these commands, your computer will restart and the installation process will begin again.
7. When the computer restarts, a message will appear — 'The user name or password is incorrect'. Click on the 'OK' button in the option below. Then the username you created will be displayed on the screen. Select that user account and complete the installation process.
8. At the end of the installation process, Windows 11 Home setup will be completed automatically and the computer can be started.
If you want to use a Microsoft account later for any reason, follow the steps below—
1. Click on the 'Sign in' option from the Windows 11 Start button. Log in with your Microsoft account.
2. You can set a password on your local user account if you want. For this, type 'cmd' in the search bar of the Start menu, open it as 'Administrator' from the context menu and issue the following command—
net user thomas test
Here the username is 'thomas' and the password is 'test'. Here you can use the username and password of your choice.
References: PC World
