What Microsoft actually changed
The well-known trick was oobe\bypassnro. You ran it from a Command Prompt during setup, and Windows then let you finish offline with a local account. On March 28, 2025, Microsoft's Windows Insider Blog said it was removing the bypassnro.cmd script from Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26200.5516 (Dev Channel). The reason given was to make sure "all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account."
Microsoft then went further. In Insider Build 26220.6772, announced in October 2025, it said it was "removing known mechanisms for creating a local account in the Windows Setup experience (OOBE)". Its reasoning was that these mechanisms "inadvertently skip critical setup screens, potentially causing users to exit OOBE with a device that is not fully configured for use." That change also targeted the newer community command start ms-cxh:localonly.
So the Geeky Gadgets statement that BypassNRO is "no longer effective" is broadly right for recent builds, but it should be tied to specific builds. Microsoft's notices covered named Insider builds, and how a given installer behaves depends on which Windows image you use.
Section summary: Microsoft has publicly removed the main in-setup local-account shortcuts from Insider builds. This is deliberate policy, not a bug.
What Rufus's option really does
Rufus is a free, open-source tool for making bootable USB drives. When you write a Windows 11 image, it shows a "Windows User Experience" dialog with optional tweaks. One of them is "Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account."
The Rufus FAQ, written by developer Pete Batard, is more careful than most tutorials about what this option does:
- It only appears for Windows 11 22H2 or later images. 21H2 didn't need it because that release already allowed a local account when offline.
- It restores an offline local-account path. The FAQ says the option brings back the ability to create a local account when the installer can't connect to the internet during account creation.
- You still have to go offline. The FAQ is blunt: "As long as the Windows installer does have network connectivity, it will default to using a Microsoft online account," even with the bypass selected.
- It depends on Microsoft's own setup options. Rufus says it uses Microsoft-documented methods rather than patching Windows binaries, so if Microsoft removes the option underneath, the Rufus checkbox stops working too.
That last point already shows up in practice. In a Rufus GitHub issue titled "Local account options not work," a user reported that "Rufus uses the oobe\bypassnro option to bypass the Microsoft online account requirement. Unfortunately, this option has been blocked and removed in new versions of Windows 11." That is a user's report, not a confirmed diagnosis. Another commenter in the same thread linked the October 2025 Insider change and wondered whether the underlying mechanism had been removed. The sources available here don't show whether the Rufus method works on every current retail build of Windows 11, so be skeptical of any guide that promises it does.
Section summary: Rufus doesn't override Microsoft. It switches on an offline local-account path Windows still has, and only if the network is unavailable at the account screen.
How to use the Rufus method
If you want to try it on a clean install, this is the sequence the documentation supports:
- Get an official Windows 11 ISO, version 22H2 or later. Rufus also says you should check a retail ISO's checksum against the one Microsoft publishes.
- Back up the USB drive. Rufus erases the drive's existing partitions and creates new ones, so check the device name and capacity before you click anything.
- In Rufus, select the drive and the ISO, then click Start. In the Windows User Experience dialog, tick Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account. Third-party guides note you can also preset a username with "Create a local account with username" when that option appears.
- Boot the target PC from the USB and go through setup.
- Stay offline at account creation. Unplug Ethernet and don't join Wi-Fi. How-To Geek describes a community method for releasing the connection mid-setup: pressing Shift+F10 and typing ipconfig /release followed by Enter.
What success looks like: setup offers a local username and password instead of a Microsoft sign-in.
Common failure points:
- The Microsoft sign-in still appears. Your network is almost certainly still connected. Disconnect it and go back a screen.
- An "unattend answer file" error during the specialize pass on an S mode PC. The Rufus FAQ lists this as a known conflict. Its fixes are to recreate the media without the Microsoft-account option, or to switch the PC out of S mode first. That second fix can be hard if Windows has already been removed.
- Newer builds ignore the option. See the GitHub report above. You may need the post-setup method below.
The reliable route: switch after setup
Gharani's other suggestion needs no USB tricks and is fully documented by Microsoft: finish setup with a Microsoft account, then convert to a local account. Microsoft Support's steps:
- Open Settings > Accounts > Your info.
- Select Sign in with a local account instead. This link only appears if you're signed in with a Microsoft account.
- Enter a username, password and password hint. The username must be different from any other account on the PC.
- Select Next, then Sign out and finish, and sign back in with the new local account.
To go back, use the same page and choose Sign in with a Microsoft account instead.
Geeky Gadgets also advises backing up your BitLocker recovery key before you switch. That's sensible: if the key was saved to your Microsoft account, make sure you have a copy you can reach after you disconnect from it.
Microsoft's own warning is worth taking seriously. If you forget a local account's password and haven't created a password reset disk, Microsoft says you won't be able to recover it.
What you give up with a local account
Microsoft's documentation makes the trade-offs clearer than the Geeky Gadgets list does:
| Feature | Local account | Microsoft account |
|---|---|---|
| Windows sign-in without internet | Yes; the account belongs to one device | Linked to Microsoft's cloud services |
| Windows Backup (folders to OneDrive, settings, apps, Wi-Fi) | Not available; Microsoft says it requires a personal Microsoft account | Available |
| Find My Device | Not available; needs a personal Microsoft account, turned on in advance, on an Administrator account | Available |
| Microsoft 365, OneDrive, Store | Usable, but you sign in to each one separately | Signed in automatically |
| Password recovery | Password hint or reset disk | Online account recovery |
One correction to the usual advice: a local account doesn't mean you can't back up your PC. You just lose Microsoft's cloud-based Windows Backup, so you need another backup tool. Note too that Microsoft officially recommends a Microsoft account for integration, security and sync. That is the vendor's stated preference, not an independent finding.
Work PCs are a different case
If you're an IT admin, Rufus isn't the right tool. Microsoft Learn says Windows doesn't require a personal Microsoft account on devices joined to Microsoft Entra ID or an on-premises Active Directory domain. Entra join during setup still needs internet access and your organization's credentials, and Windows Home doesn't support Entra join at all. Managed fleets should use proper provisioning, not a consumer USB workaround.
Bottom line
You can still run Windows 11 with a local account. Microsoft supports converting to one after setup, and Microsoft Support documents the steps. The Rufus method is a handy way to skip the Microsoft account during a clean install, but it depends on going offline at the account screen and on Microsoft not removing the setup option it relies on, which Microsoft has been doing in Insider builds. If you want the method least likely to break, set up with a Microsoft account, switch to a local account in Settings, and save your BitLocker recovery key first.