How to install Windows 11 without an Internet Connection

With Windows 11 and possibly in the future with newer versions, Microsoft intends to ‘force’ PC users to install the operating system using a Microsoft account; and this requires internet connection on the device. This post will show you how to install Windows 11 without an Internet Connection and using a Local account.

How to install Windows 11 without an Internet Connection

During the installation of Windows 11, an internet connection is required at the OOBE stage to successfully complete the process of setting up your system. That said, PC users can easily install Windows 11 on a device without an internet connection and still complete the OOBE (Out Of Box Experience) setup – this can be done as described below, whether you are setting up Windows 11 Pro or Windows 11 Home.

Read: Windows OOBE fails with error causing incomplete setup

With this development, during the setup, if Windows detects that the device isn’t connected to the internet, you will get the page with the following message;

Oops, you’ve lost internet connection page. Let’s go back and connect to your network again.

If you click the Retry button, you will get a prompt to connect to the internet. In earlier releases, you would be able to easily skip this requirement and continue offline with a local account, but with future updates of Windows 11, this will no longer be the case. So, for PC users who may not have an internet connection at the time of the installation or want a more traditional offline experience without further ado, let’s jump right into it.

Read: Windows install is stuck during Installation – Different scenarios

Use Command Prompt to bypass internet connection

To use Command Prompt to bypass the internet connection stage of the Windows 11 setup is slightly simpler and straightforward. To do this, begin the normal process of clean installing Windows 11 and then follow these instructions:

Boot the PC with the Windows 11 USB flash drive.
Press any key to continue.
Click the Next button.
Click the Install now button.
Next, click the I don’t have a product key option if performing a reinstall.

If Windows was already activated after the installation, reactivation would happen automatically.

Next, select the Windows 11 Edition that your license key activates (if applicable).
Check the I accept the license terms option.
Click the Next button.
Select the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option.
Select each partition in the hard drive (usually, the Drive 0 is the drive that contains all the installation files) you want to install Windows 11.
Click the Delete button.
Next, select the hard drive (Drive 0 Unallocated Space) to install Windows 11.
Click the Next button.
After the installation, on the OOBE first page, select your region setting.
Click the Yes button.
Select your keyboard layout setting.
Click the Yes button.
Click the Skip button if you do not need to configure a second layout.
Now, on the Oops, you’ve lost internet connection or Let’s connect you to a network page, press the Shift + F10 keyboard shortcut to invoke Command Prompt.
In Command Prompt, type the command below and hit Enter bypass network requirements on Windows 11:

OOBE\BYPASSNRO

The computer will restart automatically and the out-of-box experience (OOBE) will start again. You will need to select the region and keyboard settings one more time to get to the network connection page.

To proceed this time, click the I don’t have internet option on the Let’s connect you to a network page.

On the Connect now to quickly get started on your device page, click the Continue with limited setup option.

Click the Accept button (if applicable).
On the Who’s going to use this device? page, enter the name of the default local account on Windows 11.
Click the Next button.

Read: How to create new Local Account in Windows 11

Next, on the Create a super memorable password page, enter a password for the account.
Click the Next button.

Read: Create Password Reset Disk using USB Flash drive on Windows

Confirm the account password.
Click the Next button.
On the Now add security questions page, select and complete the three security questions to recover the account.

Read: Add Security Questions to reset Windows Local Account Password

Click the Next button.
On the the Choose privacy settings for your device page, toggle the button to Yes for the privacy settings you want.

Read: Privacy and Security Settings in Windows 11 you should know

Click the Next button.
Click the Next button again.
Click the Accept button.

Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will continue the installation on the computer. Keep in mind that Microsoft may in a future update invalidate this workaround and allow users to only be able to use a Microsoft account to install or reset Windows 11. There are other methods given on the internet to bypass the internet requirement for Windows 11. However, it has been confirmed that those methods (except for the method described in this post) no longer work for Windows 11 Build 22567 and later.

That’s it!

These posts might interest you:

Can I run Windows 11 without internet?

Yes, you can install Windows 11 without Internet, and the process is straightforward. To install Windows 11 without internet, do the following: Go through the initial setup screens and select your country on the first out-of-box-experience (OOBE) screen. Next, choose your keyboard layout on the following OOBE screen.

Read: Fix OOBEKEYBOARD, OOBELOCAL, OOBEREGION errors

Can I install Windows 11 manually?

For the best upgrade experience, Microsoft recommends you wait until your device has been offered the upgrade to Windows 11 before you use the Installation Assistant. When you’re ready, you can find it on the Windows 11 software download page. On the Windows 11 software download page, select Create tool now and follow the instructions to install Windows 11.

Read: How to restore or install Windows using external monitor

Can I update Windows without internet?

So, is there any way to get Windows updates for your computer without it being connected to fast or no internet connection? Yes, you can. Microsoft has a tool specifically built for this purpose and it’s known as the Media Creation Tool. if internet connection is lost during Windows Update, the actual update will not start until all required files are downloaded. Downloading will continue once your connection is restored.

Read: Update Windows offline without Internet connection

How long does Windows 11 take to install?

If you’re installing Windows 11 from scratch, using a USB installation drive, on a powerful computer equipped with a fast NVMe solid-state drive and a good internet connection, the whole process should take somewhere between 10 to 20 minutes at most. With mobile data, it could take longer – it’s around 4 to 5 kb to fully install Windows 11 excluding updates and other stuff.

How do I force install Windows 11?

This procedure is called In-place Upgrade. Open the USB Drive in the File Explorer. Double-click the setup.exe file (there may not be an .exe extension shown depending on your settings). Windows will guide you through upgrading. Once the upgrade process is complete and it will take a while, you’ll have Windows 11 up and running on your device.

Why Windows 11 installation is very slow?

If Windows 11 installation is very slow on your device, some of the common issues leading to Windows 11’s slow performance on your PC or laptop could be issues with the hard disk. It is better to install Windows OS on SSD for best performance. Issues with the background tasks and system drives having low disk space are other reasons. More often than not, it’s an issue with the Internet that causes the Windows 11 download to get stuck at 99% or 100%.