Windows 11 Pro will quickly require a Microsoft Account

Microsoft says it’s planning to replace Windows 11 Pro so it’ll require an web connection and a Microsoft Account through the preliminary setup part. The modifications will mirror the identical necessities Microsoft initially added to Windows 11 Home final 12 months, that means you gained’t have the ability to keep away from Microsoft Accounts by creating an area consumer account throughout setup.

Microsoft has been more and more pushing Windows customers to make use of a Microsoft Account since Windows 10, and this new change to Windows 11 Pro gained’t sit properly with many hoping to keep away from Microsoft’s information and telemetry gathering in Windows.

“Similar to Windows 11 Home edition, Windows 11 Pro edition now requires internet connectivity during the initial device setup (OOBE) only,” says an up to date Windows Insider blog post. “If you choose to setup [a] device for personal use, MSA will be required for setup as well.”

Microsoft is at the moment testing this variation in Windows 11 builds, and it’ll doubtless rollout to Windows 11 Pro within the coming months. Currently, Windows 11 Pro customers have been in a position to keep away from a Microsoft Account by disconnecting a PC from the web throughout setup and creating an area consumer account as a substitute.

The new requirement means recent installations of Windows 11 Pro would require a Microsoft Account and web connectivity throughout setup, and people hoping to keep away from that should use a dummy Microsoft Account to then create an area one afterwards.