Setup Windows 11 Without Internet

As of this writing, it is not apparent that one may setup a new Windows 11 PC without an initial active internet connection.

Being able to setup a PC with Windows 11 pre-installed without signing into a Microsoft Account is important for many reasons. In my case I setup many client computers. I usually do not have their Microsoft Account information handy and sometimes they don’t even recall if they have one. So being able to bypass this requirement is vital.

The client may choose to connect their Windows 11 PC to a Microsoft Account at a later date without issue.

In this article I cover five (5) different options for bypassing the Windows 11 Microsoft Account Sign in Requirement and one option for those with Windows 11 Home in S Mode.

 

Windows 11 Setup Without Internet

As previously stated, one cannot setup a Window 11 PC without an initial connection to the internet (no doubt this will change once Microsoft receives enough complaints).

If you have Windows 11 Home in S Mode Options 1 – 5 may not work for you! See the section on what to do if you have Windows 11 Home S Mode.

 

Option 1: Bypass Microsoft Account Requirement by Unplugging Network Cable or Enabling Airplane Mode

On the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen (see image below) temporarily allow your PC to connect to the internet and click “Next“. Immediately after clicking next you can unplug the network cable or press the Airplane mode button on a laptop. The Windows 11 setup will then continue without asking you to sign in or create a Microsoft Account.

 

 

Option 2: Bypass Microsoft Account Requirement with OOBE\BYPASSNRO

This option assumes your network cable is disconnected and your wifi is turned OFF.

On the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen press and hold down the “Shift” key followed by “F10” which will bring up the command prompt. With the command prompt open, type (no spaces): oobe\bypassnro

With that text inserted into the command prompt, press Enter” and your PC will restart. Once your PC has rebooted and you once again arrive at the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen you now have the option to click a link “I don’t have internet” down to the left of the “Next” button. Then just “Continue with limited setup“.

 

Option 3: Bypass Microsoft Account Requirement with Task Manager

This option assumes your network cable is disconnected and your wifi is turned OFF.

On the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen press and hold down the “Shift” key followed by “F10” which will bring up the command prompt. With the command prompt open, type (no spaces): taskmgr

With the Task Manager window open, click on “More details” at the bottom left of the window. Scroll down the list of Processes until you find the one labeled “Network Connection Flow“. Then simply right click on it and select “End Task“. You can now close the Task Manager and Command Prompt windows.

With that text inserted into the command prompt, press Enter” and your PC will restart. Once your PC has rebooted and you once again arrive at the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen you now have the option to click a link “I don’t have internet” down to the left of the “Next” button. Then just “Continue with limited setup“.

 

Option 4: Bypass Microsoft Account Requirement with ipconfig /release

This option assumes your network cable is connected and / or your wifi is turned ON.

On the “Let’s add your Microsoft account” screen press and hold down the “Shift” key followed by “F10” which will bring up the command prompt. With the command prompt open, type: ipconfig /release

With that text inserted into the command prompt, press Enter” and close the Command Prompt window. You should now be back at the “Let’s add your Microsoft account” screen. From here simply press the back arrow button at the top left of the window and setup your local account. Once you’ve logged in you’ll want to restart your computer to restore the network / internet on your PC.

 

Option 5: Bypass Microsoft Account Requirement by failing to enter a Microsoft Account

This option assumes your network cable is connected and / or your wifi is turned ON.

On the “Let’s add your Microsoft account” screen simply type in your Name and click the “Next” button. Then when asked for a password, enter a password you want to use (don’t worry you can remove the password later). An “Oops” notice will appear, just click “Next” and complete the setup without a Microsoft Account. Easy right? You can remove the password you setup using the instructions below.

Removing the Local Account Password

To remove the password from a local account on Windows 11 go to your Settings from the Start menu. Click on Accounts from the vertical menu on the left then click Sign-in options.

Under the “Ways to sign in” section, select “Password” then click on the Change button. Enter your current account password then click the Next button. Leave the “Password” and “Reenter password” fields blank and click on “Next” then “Finish”. This will remove the password and your Windows 11 PC will now sign in automatically moving forward.

 

Option 6: Windows 11 Home S Mode

If you unlucky enough to have a PC with Windows 11 Home in S-Mode note that it requires some additional finessing. For example, once you’re on the “Let’s add your Microsoft account” screen you will want to click on the “Accessibility” icon which looks like a person with both arms up in the air. From here the Windows Settings window will appear. You can search for “Task Manager” and open it.

With the Task Manager window open it will display only running tasks. You need to click the More details button at the bottom left to display the fully functional Task Manager.

In Task Manager, find the Network Connection Flow process, right mouse click on it and select End task from the drop down. Note, you may have to play around with this a few times but it should work eventually and allow you to continue with the Windows 11 Home (in S Mode) setup process.

 

Get Out of Windows 11 Home S Mode

In order to get out of Windows 11 Home S mode, you have to sign in to a Microsoft Account. If you do, just be sure to select the small “Microsoft apps only” text link on the “Use this account everywhere on your device” screen. Once you have installed the Windows 11 “Switch out of S mode” app you may then sign out of the Microsoft Store app by clicking on the profile icon at the top right of the store window.

 

Conclusion

As always, I welcome your thoughts, questions or suggestions on my article on setting up Windows 11 without an internet connection.

You may support my work by sending me a tip using your Brave browser or by sending me a one time donation using your credit card.

Let me know if you found any errors within my article or if I may further assist you by answering any additional questions you may have.

 

Editors Note:

• This article was first published on Dec 1, 2021 and was revised on February 20th, 2023 to include instructions for bypassing Microsoft Sign-in on a PC with Windows 11 Home S-Mode installed.