Windows 11 Pro will soon require a Microsoft account

Microsoft says it plans to update Windows 11 Pro so it will require an internet connection and a Microsoft account during the initial setup phase. The changes will reflect the same requirements as Microsoft originally It was added to Windows 11 Home last yearwhich means you won’t be able to bypass Microsoft accounts by creating a local user account during setup.

Microsoft has increasingly been pushing Windows users to use a Microsoft account since Windows 10, and this new change in Windows 11 Pro won’t sit well with many people hoping to avoid Microsoft data collection and telemetry data in Windows.

Similar to Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro now requires an Internet connection during initial device setup (OOBE) only. Windows Insider blog post. If you choose the setting [a] A device for personal use, MSA will be required for setup as well.”

Microsoft is currently testing this change in Windows 11 versions, and it will likely roll out to Windows 11 Pro in the coming months. Currently, Windows 11 Pro users have been able to bypass the Microsoft account by disconnecting the computer from the Internet during setup and creating a local user account instead.

The new requirement means that new installs of Windows 11 Pro will require a Microsoft account and internet connection during setup, and those hoping to avoid this will have to use a dummy Microsoft account to create a local one afterwards.