In another episode of the "Windows as a service is pure Lovecraftian horror" saga, the Redmond giant continues its crusade against local accounts. After having disabled the 'email trick', now it's cleaning up its own documentation: the official instructions that explained how to return to a local account after configuring Microsoft credentials have disappeared, leaving only isolated remnants in the Internet Archive...
We've discussed this before: both Apple and Google recommend users use official credentials to access special services and download new apps from their stores... but that step is optional. There are different levels of access and 'guest modes' that give users some flexibility. However, when it comes to the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, those mechanisms don't exist. Entering a valid account is mandatory to continue with the installation... unless the user disobeys.
The "purge" of local accounts in Windows 11
What's next on the list? Let's say Microsoft is taking a cue from the "Ministry of Truth" to update its official documentation. A copy of the text on Microsoft Support from June 12 contains the necessary instructions for users to switch from a Microsoft account to a local account, but looking at the same document a week later, those instructions have vanished into thin air. The document ends with a curious phrase: "Discover the benefits of a Microsoft account, and how it improves your experience by visiting the article 'What is a Microsoft account'." It used to be a simple tip.
The problem is that the hypothetical benefits are closer to a myth. Windows 11 configured with a Microsoft account turns into a nightmare of pop-ups and reminders to use other company services. Now, the two main tricks that rehabilitate local accounts (one is the classic 'OOBE\BYPASSNRO', and the other is Rufus intervention) haven't gone anywhere, but let's not fool ourselves: Microsoft wants to burn those bridges. The question isn't how, but when.
Source: Ars Technica
