Using a Microsoft account with Windows 11 is the best way to access all its features, including Microsoft Copilot, OneDrive, and more. But some people just don’t want to use a Microsoft account and connect all their data to the cloud, and that’s okay. If you’re one of those people, or if you’re just considering giving the PC you’re setting up to a friend, you can follow a few simple steps to use a local account instead.
How to set up a local account on Windows 11
Previously, you could use a command in Windows Command Prompt, but Microsoft seems to have fixed this trick in recent updates. As such, the easiest method to bypass the Microsoft account requirement is to follow these steps:
Set up Windows 11 as you normally would. However, when you arrive at Unlock your Microsoft experience section, choose Sign In then enter a fake email. It could be anything, but try to go for something that probably won’t be a real email, as you don’t want to trigger account security features on anyone’s real Microsoft account.
Choose Following then enter a false password before selecting To log in. Give it a few moments, then the setup should send you to a screen saying Oops, something went wrong. By clicking Following here will take you to a new screen that asks Who will use this device? Enter your preferred name, then click Following. Now enter a password and let Microsoft continue setting up Windows 11.
The important thing to remember here is that Microsoft can fix this method at any time. You may one day need to upgrade your local account to an online account. If this happens, you can easily do it from Settings > “Your profile name” > Your information > Log in with an online account then follow the steps that appear on the screen.
What features am I missing when using a local account?
One of the main reasons Microsoft tries to get you to create an online account is because of the variety of features it offers. Now, I’m not going to go into a tirade about how these features relate to privacy standards, because like any online account, these features are intended to collect data so that you can help Microsoft in some way or on the other, whether it concerns advertisements or training. Copilot, or just improve the functionality as a whole.
That being said, here’s a list of some really key Windows 11 features that you’ll miss if you don’t create an online account:
Whether these features are important to you or not is entirely up to you. But if you want to get the most out of Windows 11 and everything Microsoft adds to it, you’ll probably want to create an online account instead.