Sidestep Windows 11 Install Microsoft Account Requirement With Rufus

By Wesley Roberts •  Updated: 07/04/22 •  2 min read

From Windows 11 22H2 and on, getting Windows set up on a new device will require you to have a Microsoft account. Previous to this new policy, Windows 11 only required a Microsoft account for Windows 11 Home installations. Now, both Windows 11 Home and Pro will have the mandatory Microsoft account sign-in to set up new devices.

But there could be a workaround for that.

Rufus, a USB formatting utility can additionally be used to create installation media for Windows, Linux distributions, and other operating systems.

Rufus 3.16 included an unofficial workaround for people up against the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot restrictions when doing a clean install of Windows 11. The upcoming version, Rufus 3.18, will also allow you to get around the restrictions for in-place upgrades.

Rufus 3.19 Beta

Last week, Rufus 3.19 Beta was released. It adds a new selection dialog for Windows 11 setup customization that has options for making a bootable Windows 11 USB install drive. You can have it modify the installer to skip all collection questions by auto-selecting ‘Don’t allow’ or ‘Refuse,’ and removes the requirement for a Microsoft account in Windows 11 22H2 (if you also disconnect all network devices during installation).

Rufus can also deactivate the Secure Boot and TPM checks, allowing Windows 11 to be installed on most 64-bit PCs.

Rumor has it that Microsoft plans to launch Windows 11 v 22H2 this fall sometime.