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Microsoft has removed the BypassNRO.cmd script from Windows 11 preview builds. This script allowed users to install the operating system without an internet connection and bypass the requirement to use a Microsoft account. The change appeared in the latest Windows 11 Insider Dev preview build and will likely be included in regular builds soon.

“We are removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to improve security and enhance the user experience in Windows 11,” Microsoft developers stated. “This change ensures that all users complete setup with an internet connection and a Microsoft account.”

Since the release of Windows 11, Microsoft has gradually made it more difficult to use the OS with a local account, pushing users to sign in with a Microsoft account. According to company representatives, this is intended to make it easier to use Microsoft’s ecosystem of cloud features and services.

“When a user signs in with a Microsoft account, the device connects to cloud services,” Microsoft explains. “The user can share various settings, preferences, and apps between devices.”

A popular way to bypass these restrictions during OS installation was to use the script located at C:\Windows\System32\oobe\BypassNRO.cmd. When run during Windows 11 setup, it created a registry parameter that disabled the mandatory internet connection requirement, allowing the operating system to be set up with a local account.

Typically, you could run the script during installation by pressing Shift+F10 on the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen to open the command prompt. In the command prompt, you would enter C:\Windows\System32\oobe\BypassNRO.cmd to run the script and restart the computer.

After rebooting, Windows 11 setup would continue, and when you reached the network setup screen, you could skip the network connection and set up a local account.

Although Microsoft has now removed the script, users are already coming up with alternative solutions. For example, the BypassNRO registry value has not yet been removed. This means you can manually enter the following commands to achieve the same result as the script:

reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
shutdown /r /t 0

You can also manually create the BypassNRO value using Regedit, launched from the command prompt via Shift+F10.

Unfortunately, if Microsoft removes this registry value in the future, this workaround will no longer work.

Another method, suggested by enthusiast ThePineapple, uses the CXH (Cloud Experience Host) URI during OS installation to trigger a hidden local account setup screen.

“By accessing the developer console, users can bring up the hidden local account setup screen. This offline method works in all versions of Windows 11, including S-Mode, allowing you to create a local account,” ThePineapple explains.

Detailed instructions are available in the WinJS-Microsoft-Account-Bypass repository on GitHub.

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