The workaround is in the normal Windows 11 Out-of-Box Experience that users see when setting up the operating system.
Some components installed with Windows won't work without a Microsoft account, but at least users can choose whether or not to use them.
Windows 11 Pro users, or administrators, have other options and aren't forced down the Microsoft account route, which may hint at why this loophole exists in the first place.
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The workaround is in the normal Windows 11 Out-of-Box Experience that users see when setting up the operating system.
Get to the point where Windows prompts for a Microsoft account, then click the "Learn more" hyperlink beneath the text box and the Sign-in options link, and the OOBE skips to prompting for the user's name and eventually a password. Just like it used to do before Microsoft decided that you needed one of its accounts to use the software you thought you'd paid for.
Some components installed with Windows won't work without a Microsoft account, but at least users can choose whether or not to use them.
Microsoft has played whack-a-mole with workarounds users have found to avoid a Microsoft account in the Windows setup application over the years.
Windows 11 Pro users, or administrators, have other options and aren't forced down the Microsoft account route, which may hint at why this loophole exists in the first place.
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