Solved What is "oobe\bypassnro"


Of all of all of the usual workarounds, the oobe\bypassnro is actually the official method introduced by MS at request from business IT depts as some pcs are air gapped for security reasons. Fortunately, MS never restricted it to Enterprise versions.
 

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Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ16 GB solderedIntegrated Intel Iris XE
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Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
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ASUS Zenbook 14
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Macrium Reflect Home V8
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That only comes up with windows pro. This is home... With pro, you don't need to run about script, it gives you the option to use offline account out of the box... I was replying to the context of the conversation... Using the oobe\bypassnro script
 

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windows 11
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windows 11
That only comes up with windows pro. This is home... With pro, you don't need to run about script, it gives you the option to use offline account out of the box... I was replying to the context of the conversation... Using the oobe\bypassnro script
Not true with 22H2. 22H2 does not display an option to create a local account any longer, even with Pro. You need to use one of the "workarounds" now to do so.

Another method that works regardless of whether the edition is Home or Pro, network connected or not, is to use a simple unattended answer file. I say "simple" only because you don't need to perform a full unattended installation, you can use a short, simplified answer file that does nothing more than create a local user account. The rest of the installation can be a guided setup as usual if you so wish.
 

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    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-14650HX32 GBNo GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
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    Acemagic
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    Intel i7-14650HX
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    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-1255U16 GBIntel Iris Xe Graphics
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    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
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    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
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    Intel i7-1255U
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    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
I just did a test install of pro to confirm, you CAN get local account on pro. Choose Work, then click Sign in Options, next choose "Domain", and it will take you to closing a local account user and password.

Of course, these options are missing from home. And home is where I also can't get any work-arounds to work, now that I've updated my installer to 22h2... I used to be able to boot install with Ethernet cable connected, then disconnect it during user setup and it would say, oops, something went wrong. Then it would send me to local account user...
 

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windows 11
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windows 11
I used to be able to boot install with Ethernet cable connected, then disconnect it during user setup
When clean installing don't connect the WiFi when asked to, instead use bypassnro at this point.
 

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    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
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    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
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    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
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    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

    I've now clean installed 25H2 and used Garlin's scripts to update Secure Boot to CA 2023 and revoke the PCA 2011 certificates. It's new role is to test secure boot issues.
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    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
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    Dell Latitude E4310
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    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
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    0T6M8G
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    1366x768
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    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
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    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.
I just did a test install of pro to confirm, you CAN get local account on pro. Choose Work, then click Sign in Options, next choose "Domain", and it will take you to closing a local account user and password.
Yes, that is one of the "workarounds". The point is that it doesn't make that choice obvious. Also, be aware that this option only works if you have an Internet connection.
 

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    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-14650HX32 GBNo GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
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    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acemagic
    CPU
    Intel i7-14650HX
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varies as machine will often be moved to locations with different monitors
    Screen Resolution
    Varies
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB Gen 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    120W Power Brick
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
  • At a glance

    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)Intel i7-1255U16 GBIntel Iris Xe Graphics
    Operating System
    Win11 Pro 25H2 (RTM+)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Hi there
If you just want to skip the Internet thing just to avoid having to use an Ms account then (OK you still need internet) but the old rubbish email address and password still works OK -- you'll get "OOPS something went wrong" and then you can select next and it carries on setting up as a local account. ([email protected] with pw Boll--ks works).

I'm not sure though how people in future are expected to install this stuff on "secure" systems which for one reason or other aren't allowed access to the Internet,

Cheers
jimbo
 

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Windows XP,11 Linux Fedora Rawhide pre-releas...2 X Intel i7
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Windows XP,11 Linux Fedora Rawhide pre-release 45
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CPU
2 X Intel i7
Screen Resolution
4KUHD X 2
Will this OOBE\BYPASSNRO method still work in my use case.
I cannot go up to 22H2 just now as it breaks things on my pc. I have a new ssd I want to clean install Win11 on, I have an old USB drive with the original version of Win11 on it. Will this workaround let me install Win11 offline, then go online with my MS account, and get updates excluding 22H2?
I rolled-back 22H2 to the previous version as I had that option, but a clean install won't have that, and I assume an internet connection will automatically put me on 22H2.
 

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Windows 11 ProAMD Ryzen 2600
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Windows 11 Pro
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Self Build
CPU
AMD Ryzen 2600
Motherboard
Gigabyte
I was installing a brand new laptop with Windows 11 and happened to appear the Connect to a Network dialog.
I pressed F10 to open the command prompt and typed OOBE\BYPASSNRO.
It returned "OOBE is not recognized as an internal or external command" I felt disappointed thinking Microsoft changed or didn't include it anymore on new equipment.
I also thought it was actually a command but thanks to this post, I navigated to the OOBE path and ran the Bypassnro.cmd script.

Thanks a lot! (y)
:-)
 

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Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700G16GB DDR4-3200MHzAMD Radeon Vega
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Self
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AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
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ASUS ROG STRIX B450-F GAMING II
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16GB DDR4-3200MHz
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AMD Radeon Vega
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ASUS VA24E & HP 24x
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Logitech MX Keys
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Logitech MX Master 3
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200Mbps
When installing Windows 11, if you want to get around having to connect to the internet and login with a MS account, you can enter the command prompt and run:
oobe\bypassnro

I always thought oobe was the command and \bypassnro was an option switch, and I found it completely odd there was no space in there. I was wrong. The command prompt opens in C:\Windows\System32. In \Windows\System32, is a folder called oobe. And inside the oobe folder is bypassnro.cmd. So, that is what you are running with the command oobe\bypassnro.

The bypassnro.cmd is a script which contains:
@echo off
reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
shutdown /r /t 0

So, it is really a registry key that causes oobe to not require a network, and then subsequently allow you to create a local account on a clean install.
On some HP models, the OOBE is actually MSOOBE, in the c:\windows\system32\OOBE directory.
If you type in the OOBE /bypassnro, it will simply tell you that the file or directory does not exist.
If you type in MSOOBE /bypassnro, it will work.
 

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Windows 11 Pro 64 BitAMD Ryzen 9 5950X128GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1058MHz (15-15-15-36)4095MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (MSI)
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Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit
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PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
CyberPower
CPU
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Motherboard
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. PRIME B550-PLUS AC-HES (AM4)
Memory
128GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1058MHz (15-15-15-36)
Graphics Card(s)
4095MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (MSI)
Sound Card
High Definition Audio Device
Hard Drives
1863GB Fanxiang S880 2TB (Unknown (SSD))
16764GB OOS18000G (SATA ) 36 °C
16764GB PRO-T5 Avoluxion SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA) )
On some HP models, the OOBE is actually MSOOBE, in the c:\windows\system32\OOBE directory.
If you type in the OOBE /bypassnro, it will simply tell you that the file or directory does not exist.
If you type in MSOOBE /bypassnro, it will work.
Is the script itself still the same?

I've passed Brink a link to your post along with the suggestion that your information is included in the Clean install tutorial.

Denis
 

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Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200....
OS
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200.8037
Is the script itself still the same?

I've passed Brink a link to your post along with the suggestion that your information is included in the Clean install tutorial.

Denis
I'd also like to add, that on the HP in question, while you are in the command line, go ahead and drop a net user owner /add to the deal, to prevent it from creating a "generic" account upon reboot, and telling you the password is incorrect.
If you create a user with no password at the command line, it will boot straight into the new profile.
I ended up using a bootable utilities disk, from sergeistrelec.name, and the password unlocker program on the machine, to create a new profile, and wipe the password from the $DefaultProfile that the machine made upon reboot.
 

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Windows 11 Pro 64 BitAMD Ryzen 9 5950X128GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1058MHz (15-15-15-36)4095MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (MSI)
OS
Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
CyberPower
CPU
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
Motherboard
ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. PRIME B550-PLUS AC-HES (AM4)
Memory
128GB Dual-Channel DDR4 @ 1058MHz (15-15-15-36)
Graphics Card(s)
4095MB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (MSI)
Sound Card
High Definition Audio Device
Hard Drives
1863GB Fanxiang S880 2TB (Unknown (SSD))
16764GB OOS18000G (SATA ) 36 °C
16764GB PRO-T5 Avoluxion SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA) )
It can bypass network sign-in during Windows setup which also allows you to create a local account rather than a Microsoft account.
 

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Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel® Core™ i9-9900KCorsair Vengeance RGB Pro 128GB (4x32GB) ‎CMW...Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 TI Founders Edition
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Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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Custom Built (ASUS, Intel, Nvidia, Creative Labs, Corsair, Seasonic, Lian Li)
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Intel® Core™ i9-9900K
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ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XI EXTREME
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ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQXR Mini LED backlit & HDR1000
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Samsung 970 Pro 1TB
Samsung 980 Pro 1TB
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Seasonic Prime TX 1000
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Lian Li 011 Dynamic XL ROG Edition
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ASUS ROG STRIX LC II 360 ARGB AIO, 10x UNI FAN SL-INFINITY Fans
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Razer Huntsman Elite (Silent keys)
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Logitech MX Master 3s
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1024 Mb/s Down and 40 Mb/s Up
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Microsoft Edge
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Windows Defender
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Speakers: Vanatoo Transparent One Encore with a REL HT/1003 Subwoofer
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