Microsoft wants Windows 10 users to use their Microsoft Account. They don't have to. Credit: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images Windows 11 has been out now for about two and a half years, but its ...

The very fact that a local account is more privacy-oriented is a good enough reason for me, and others who share the same ...

Windows 11 has ushered in numerous changes to Microsoft's entrenched operating system. Not only do you need specific hardware to run Windows 11, it pushes you to connect a Microsoft account to your PC ...

If you've set up a Windows PC recently, you'll know that the process includes logging into or creating a Microsoft account. Where once you could push on with just a local profile created, Microsoft is ...

Microsoft is removing known workarounds for local account creation in Windows 11 setup (OOBE), effectively making a Microsoft Account (MSA) mandatory for most users. The company cites proper ...

Microsoft has fired its latest salvo in the battle against Windows 11 customers who would rather sign in with a local account than a Microsoft account. Announcing a new Windows 11 Insider build, the ...

A newly discovered trick allows Windows 11 users to bypass Microsoft’s online account requirement during setup, raising questions around user control and privacy. The workaround, shared by X user ...

Microsoft's latest Insider Preview, Build 26220.6772, introduces a significant policy change: removal of known workarounds to skip Microsoft Account setup during Windows 11 installation (OOBE).

Microsoft is blocking another way to choose a local account in Windows 11. You'd force a local account by disconnecting from the network. The block is currently in place in the latest Windows 11 ...

Microsoft has released a new Windows Insider Preview Build 26220.6772 that could make it harder or impossible to set up Windows 11 without first signing in to a Microsoft account. Spotted by our ...