Seems as though MS is closed bypassnro loophole to bypass MS acct requirement in Beta

glasskuter · Mar 28, 2025

I always thought that MS could and would at some point shut down all the loopholes we've been using to bypass a MS account as well as those used to install 11 on older hardware. If this article is to be believed, it appears this may be the company's first step.... the bypassnro command is disabled in the latest beta build.

Microsoft wants Windows 11 installs to use a Microsoft Account — confirms removal of popular setup bypass

The popular "bypassnro" command, which let users to skip connecting to the Internet and signing into a Microsoft Account, is being removed.

www.windowscentral.com

The way I read it, as of right now, the script can still be enabled into a system by adding the registry key - HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f shutdown /r /t 0″
By the time this gets to the release channel that may no longer work. Probably will, though, as MS is famous for taking things away a little bit at a time rather than everything all at once. I'm sure they feel it's less of a shock their customer base by doing it that way. Doesn't change that ultimately, their demand is met whether their customer base likes it or not.

dacrone · Mar 28, 2025

even if it doesn't, what im curious to see is if you can throw the .cmd on the usb installer and use cmd during install to copy it to the directory and then launch it like normal

Bree · Mar 28, 2025

glasskuter said:
The way I read it, as of right now, the script can still be enabled into a system by adding the registry key - HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f shutdown /r /t 0″

Not quite right. ~~You've~~ (edit) Windows Central have (/edit) merged two lines of the script there.
The first part adds the registry key, the second part is a shutdown /r /t 0 command that performs the reboot.

Read the script, you'll find it in the C:\Windows\System32\oobe folder on any RTM Windows 11 install.

dacrone said:
even if it doesn't, what im curious to see is if you can throw the .cmd on the usb installer and use cmd during install to copy it to the directory and then launch it like normal

No need to copy it from the usb, you can just run it from where it is. In fact, you could just open a command prompt and type the two commands yourself, it would have the same effect.

glasskuter · Mar 28, 2025

I'm not too concerned one way or the other since I got too old and don't have to deal with OOBE much any more. If any workaround at all will work, Brink will know and change his tutorial accordingly. I just roll with the flow.

garlin · Mar 28, 2025

BypassNRO is treated like some magical incantation, but the basic theory is very simple.

Windows installation follows a specific sequence of different install stages. For a clean boot, the order is:
WinPE -> reboot -> specialize pass -> reboot -> possible detour to audit mode -> OOBE pass -> desktop logon

During specific points in the install, you may be allowed to open a CMD window using Shift-F10. Other times, Shift-F10 is blocked. Try this by button mashing Shift-10 while a Windows install is happening. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't.

When you get to the OOBE screen, you're allowed to use Shift-F10 (except in certain Windows builds as evidenced by a recent thread where an Insider release disabled this functionality).

The BypassNRO script only has two commands:
1. Enables the BypassNRO reg value
2. Reboots Windows

But why does the script require a reboot? It's rather simple. By the time you reach the OOBE screen where it's paused, the install has moved past the checkpoint where it looks for the BypassNRO value. Just because you've updated the reg value, the current OOBE session refuses to behave any differently.

But there's a clever fix. Any time you reboot in the middle of a Windows install, it keeps track of the current install pass and tries to resume where it left off. Now that you have BypassNRO enabled in the registry, restarting Windows will start up OOBE all over again but now it passes the check.

The reboot is required only because you missed an earlier window of opportunity to set the same key before Windows reached OOBE.

For technical users, you can skip the whole Shift-F10 business by a choice of:

1. Mount the install WIM, "reg load" the image's SOFTWARE hive and make the same edit. "reg unload", unmount the WIM, writing all changes back to the image. Now BypassNRO is pre-set in the install image, waiting for OOBE pass to run.

2. Add the same "reg add" command in an unattended file. You can provide it yourself, or have Rufus perform the exact same task. Because the reg command is executed in the specialize pass, it happens again before OOBE pass.

Neither method requires a reboot, because BypassNRO is already in place before OOBE.

In conclusion, it's not so much whether the BypassNRO script disappears as much as whether the OOBE check is removed or not.

Bree · Mar 28, 2025

garlin said:
In conclusion, it's not so much whether the BypassNRO script disappears as much as whether the OOBE check is removed or not.

And it hasn't been removed, not in the latest Dev build 26200.5516.
I've just tested that here: KB5054687 Windows 11 Insider Dev build 26200.5516 (24H2) - March 28

garlin · Mar 28, 2025

Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.3653 (Beta Channel)

[Other]

We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.

Brink · Mar 28, 2025

glasskuter said:
I'm not too concerned one way or the other since I got too old and don't have to deal with OOBE much any more. If any workaround at all will work, Brink will know and change his tutorial accordingly. I just roll with the flow.

Yep. There's still a workaround we can use step 15 or the red warning box under step 17 below.

Clean Install Windows 11

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to clean install Windows 11 at boot on your PC with or without an Internet connection and setup with a local account or Microsoft account. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes...

www.elevenforum.com

garlin · Mar 28, 2025

IMO the future looks like "save this file as autounattend.xml on your USB drive, before booting it". Or just use Rufus (same thing).

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
        <settings pass="specialize">
                <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
                        <RunSynchronous>
                                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                                        <Order>1</Order>
                                        <Path>reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f</Path>
                                </RunSynchronousCommand>
                        </RunSynchronous>
                </component>
        </settings>
        <settings pass="windowsPE">
                <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
                        <UserData>
                                <ProductKey>
                                        <Key></Key>
                                </ProductKey>
                        </UserData>
                </component>
        </settings>
</unattend>

antspants · Mar 28, 2025

garlin said:
Or just use Rufus (same thing).

dacrone · Mar 28, 2025

even if the ever do (which wont happen because of the built in administrator) block all bypass options... the 2 that will never fail are installing the build right before the 'blocks' and upgrading to the new and/or make up a bs Microsoft acct, set up windows and convert to local acct and leave the disposable Microsoft account to sit until they discard it

garlin · Mar 28, 2025

What never fails is if you use Unattended mode to create a Local Account, it skips OOBE asking you to use a MS Account.

If you want to manually link that Local Account to a MS Account, it can be done after you're logged on. That gives the best of both worlds, where your local user name isn't the first 5 letters of your MS Account's email address, and it prevents your user folders defaulting to OneDrive.

dacrone · Mar 28, 2025

yeah i wasnt arguing. just stating that they cannot do away with it. even without additions to the installer(s)

hsehestedt · Mar 28, 2025

EDIT Mar 31, 2025: Add a note that OOBE\bypassnro no longer works in 25H2 Insider Builds. More importantly, a new method for creating a local account has been discovered. "the new bypassnro", so I added this to the docs. IMHO, this is the easiest and best method yet.

Attached are my cheat notes on this topic. I tested all these methods a few days ago and they are all working in 24H2.

russ6100 · Mar 29, 2025

7 hours ago, Microsoft's Jim Kennedy (@TonikJDK) announced on X that `bypassnro` is done.

There are a lot of folks with pitchforks replying in that thread...

garlin · Mar 29, 2025

Well, looking at @TonikJDK's profile, he doesn't speak for Windows Dev.

Microsoft System Engineer and motorcycle enthusiast.
Cleveland, OH

His manager will probably get a snippy email from MS PR next week.

glasskuter · Mar 29, 2025

hsehestedt said:
attached are my cheat notes

Very clean set of instructions. Thanks. After all this time, I've never done the incompatible hardware thing but I have the perfect machine to try it on. It's my favorite PC out of all I have ever owned, an Optiplex 9020. No harm, no foul if I screw it up.

thepineapple · Mar 29, 2025

hsehestedt said:
Attached are my cheat notes on this topic. I tested all these methods a few days ago and they are all working in 24H2.

At least the WinJS method lives on here. Unlike on X where someone steals my work and gets all the credit lol. Edit ofc it was a massgrave dev An even better Microsoft Account bypass for Windows 11 has already been discovered

hsehestedt · Mar 29, 2025

thepineapple said:
At least the WinJS method lives on here. Unlike on X where someone steals my work and gets all the credit lol. Edit ofc it was a massgrave dev An even better Microsoft Account bypass for Windows 11 has already been discovered

Ah yes! I couldn't recall where I had gotten that info - just stuffed it into my notes as soon as I saw it.

BTW, I updated the docs in the post to credit you for that method.

dacrone · Mar 29, 2025

thepineapple said:
At least the WinJS method lives on here. Unlike on X where someone steals my work and gets all the credit lol. Edit ofc it was a massgrave dev An even better Microsoft Account bypass for Windows 11 has already been discovered

Just msg the editor and tell him to fix the tag

Seems as though MS is closed bypassnro loophole to bypass MS acct requirement in Beta

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