Windows 11 OOBE setup without Internet


I

ijalabs

Active member
Local time
3:28 PM
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OS
Windows 11
Dear Experts,

How to setup Windows 11 25H2 without connecting pc to internet as the option bypassnro is no longer supported in OOBE.

We need to setup the pc without connecting it to internet as this will be used as base for creating the new wim file.

Thanks for your help

Ijalabs
 
Windows Build/Version
Windows 11 25H2

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Z2 SFF G9
In this guide, I’ll outline the methods that still work to bypass the online account and connection requirements for setting up Windows 11.

 

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At a glance

Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700GMicron Technology DDR4-3200 16GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
Erica6
Memory
Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Sound Card
Realtek ALC671
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
Hello Ijalabs, :alien:

You can still use step 15 in the tutorial below while doing a clean install to set up a local account during Windows Setup.

www.elevenforum.com

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 www.elevenforum.com
 

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    Windows 11 Pro for WorkstationsIntel i7-8700K 5 GHz64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600...ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GD...
    OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
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    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
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    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
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    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
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    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
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    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
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    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
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    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
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    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender
A clean install of 25H2 works exactly the same way as it did in 24H2. There's mass confusion on the Internet, which MS probably intended.

At some point the BypassNRO.cmd script will disappear, but the BypassNRO registry hack still exists. If you have a Local Account defined in the unattended file, or add the BypassNRO reg key during the specialize pass, you don't need to create a MS Account.

If you're building a new WIM, there are two options:

1. Create an autounattend.xml to create a Local Account, or apply the BypassNRO key.

Code: 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <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>
    <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>
                    <Order>1</Order>
                    <Description>Bypass Microsoft Account sign-up</Description>
                    <Path>reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
            </RunSynchronous>
        </component>
    </settings>
</unattend>

2. Mount the image, load the offline SOFTWARE reg hive and apply the BypassNRO key (without an unattended file).

Code: 
DISM /Mount-Wim /wimfile:D:\path\to\image.wim /index:1 /mountdir:C:\Mount
reg load HKLM\TEMP C:\Mount\Windows\System32\config\SOFTWARE
reg add HKLM\TEMP\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
reg unload HKLM\TEMP
DISM /Unmount-Wim /mountdir:C:\Mount /commit
 

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At a glance

Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
OOBE\bypassnro still worked with build 28020.1362.
I tried a clean install with the ISO created from uupdump on Dec. 22, 2025.
I had no problem installing without internet connection and with local account.
Perhaps Microsoft reversed the decision about removing that option. 🤞😵‍💫🤷‍♂️
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 25H2Intel I9-9900K64GBNVIDIA RTX 2060
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell XPS 8930
CPU
Intel I9-9900K
Memory
64GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA RTX 2060
Sound Card
NVIDIA High Definition Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
4k Samsung
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
512GB NVMe, ADATA SU 800, 2TB HDD
I would be careful about trying to draw conclusions based on a pre-release build.

Sometimes BypassNRO stops working in them, and sometimes it returns after a while. MS has more or less stated that the BypassNRO.cmd script will disappear, without admitting that it will close the underlying loophole (which can be served by applying the reg key outside of the script).
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
garlin said:
I would be careful about trying to draw conclusions based on a pre-release build.

Sometimes BypassNRO stops working in them, and sometimes it returns after a while. MS has more or less stated that the BypassNRO.cmd script will disappear, without admitting that it will close the underlying loophole (which can be served by applying the reg key outside of the script).
Click to expand...
Not making any conclusion.
Just stating the facts.
That option still worked with 26200.7171 public Build. I have not tried with latest 26200.7462 yet.
I'll post back after I try it out. 😎
Edit:
I just tried with latest MCT made, public Build 26200.7462 and oobe\byapssnro still works with that too. 😉

Anyway, there are other documented ways for installing without internet and/or using a local account.

A new way to create a local user account - better than oobe\bypassnro

Since the ability to use oobe\bypassnro is going away in 2025, here is a new way to create a local user account. This is even easier than oobe\bypassnro. At the point in setup where you would run oobe\bypassnro, from a command prompt run: start ms-cxh:localonly Love this method. Best method...
www.elevenforum.com www.elevenforum.com

Merry Christmas to all!
 
Last edited:

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 25H2Intel I9-9900K64GBNVIDIA RTX 2060
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell XPS 8930
CPU
Intel I9-9900K
Memory
64GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA RTX 2060
Sound Card
NVIDIA High Definition Audio
Monitor(s) Displays
4k Samsung
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
512GB NVMe, ADATA SU 800, 2TB HDD
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