If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Microsoft is once again tightening its grip on local account setups in Windows 11, eliminating several widely used methods that allowed users to bypass signing in with a Microsoft account during installation. A new update in the Windows Insider Preview program points to a future where setting up a PC without connecting it to Microsoft’s services could become almost impossible. In build 26220.6772, now available through the Dev channel, Microsoft has officially removed a handful of command-line workarounds from the out-of-box experience (OOBE). Microsoft justified the change by saying these methods “inadvertently skip critical setup screens” and could leave a device “not fully configured for use.” However, users who have relied on these workarounds typically still see the full local account creation interface, including options to set a username, password, and some core privacy settings. What gets removed are the additional screens that push Microsoft 365, Xbox Game Pass, and features like Windows Recall, which tracks user activity and behavior. At the time of writing, it’s uncertain whether another commonly used method in Windows 11 Pro still works. This one involves indicating that the machine will be joined to a corporate domain, which has so far allowed the creation of a local account. Microsoft has not confirmed if this path has been closed off as well. Microsoft began enforcing account sign-ins more aggressively with the release of Windows 11 22H2, expanding the requirement to include the Pro edition. Earlier builds, including Windows 10 and Windows 11 21H2, offered more flexibility, especially for users who chose to install without an internet connection. Microsoft’s stance remains consistent. Feedback has not deterred the company from pushing account integration further into the Windows setup process. Its approach assumes that personal-use PCs should be tied to Microsoft accounts by default, regardless of whether the user subscribes to Game Pass, OneDrive, or other services. The pressure is now extending beyond Windows 11. Users of Windows 10 who want to receive Extended Security Updates through October 2026 must sign in with a Microsoft account to enroll. In some countries, Microsoft has gone even further by cutting off these updates entirely if users are not actively signed in. For users who value privacy, prefer offline setups, or want to avoid syncing their devices with a corporate cloud ecosystem, Microsoft is continuing to remove its options. With each update, it becomes harder to install Windows without surrendering some degree of control. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Microsoft Makes It Harder to Set Up Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account appeared first on Reclaim The Net.