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Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Technology
Scott Younker

Microsoft might be cracking down on Windows 11 local account setups — here's what we know so far

Microsoft Tom Guide Tom Hardware
The Windows 11 logo seen through a digital magnifying glass .

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 friends at Tom's Hardware, the patch notes for the build refer to the out-of-the-box experience (OOBE) or the setup process for a new Windows 11 installation. This update makes it harder to get around restrictions to use a local account.

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