Installing Microsoft Windows is something that every tech enthusiast should know how to do. If you have ever taken on the task of building your own computer, then obviously you will need to install Windows or another operating system on it to get it up and running.
When installing Windows, Microsoft will try and force you to use a Microsoft Account for your Windows user account. Of course, you can configure a local account after Windows is running and even convert your Microsoft account to a local account. But what if you do not want to install Windows using a Microsoft account? In this article, we will be showing you how to install Windows with a local account rather than a Microsoft Account. There are two ways you can go about this and they are very similar in how they work.
If you have never installed Windows 11 before, you may find it a bit challenging but once you have done it a few times, you will find that it’s very easy to do. If you would like to view a tutorial on how to install Windows 11 and create your installation media, you can check it out here.
Installing Windows with a Local Account – Method 1
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The process to install Windows with a local account rather than a Microsoft account begins with starting the Windows installation like you normally would. Then when you get to the section where it asks about adding a second keyboard layout, you need to stop here.
Now you can click your mouse above the keyboard image and then press Ctrl+Shift+J on your keyboard. The screen will go dark, and you will have a command prompt where you can then type in the following command. You need to make sure you type it exactly as shown with the capitol letters and no spaces.
WinJS.Application.restart(“ms-cxh://LOCALONLY”)
Once you make sure you have typed everything correctly, you can press enter and should then see a blank prompt. You can then press the Esc key on your keyboard and may have to click a couple of times with your mouse to go back to the main screen.
Now you will see a box that says Create a user for this PC. Here you can type in the username for the account and create a password. If you do not want to use a password with this account, you can leave it blank. Once you have the name and password filled out, click the Next button.
The Windows installation process will then go right into the new profile setup screen which can take a few minutes to complete.
You will then need to choose your options for the Windows privacy settings.
You will then be taken to the Windows desktop with your new local user account.
Installing Windows with a Local Account – Method 2
This next method is very similar to the first method but involves using a different command. You will still begin the Windows installation process like you normally would but this time when you get to the country and region setup of the GUI part of the installation, you can press Shift+F10 to bring up a command prompt.
At the command prompt you will need to type in this command exactly as shown.
start ms-cxh:localonly
Once you type in the command and press enter, you will see the Create a user for this PC box appear and you can then type in a username and password. You do not need to type in a password if you do not want to use one with this new local account. Once you have added the information, click the Next button to proceed.
You will then see the same user profile setup screen as you saw in the previous example and then you will be taken to your new desktop with your new local user account.
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