Windows 11 Pro installation will require Microsoft Account

If you want to install Windows 11 Pro later this year, you must have an active internet connection and a Microsoft Account. Microsoft is thus following its current installation policy for Windows 11 Home.

An internet connection is already required with a Pro installation of the latest Windows 11 version in the Dev channel and whoever chooses the setup for personal use must already use their Microsoft Account. “You can expect a Microsoft Account to be required in subsequent releases,” Microsoft said in the release notes for Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22557.

Windows 11 Home installation requires an active internet connection and a Microsoft Account since October last year. Initially, a simple ‘Alt + F4’ at the screen pointing users to the required internet connection was enough to get around this requirement. Users could then log in with a local account. Microsoft put an end to that workaround.

After that it was still possible to bypass the requirement for a network connection by calling up task manager via ‘Shift + F10’ and ending ‘Network Connection Flow’, but this method for the Home version no longer works either. As a result, users who do not want a Microsoft Account or have an Internet connection had to resort to Windows 11 Pro. It is unknown when Microsoft will bring the changes to the release version of Windows 11 Pro.