You might soon be able to sign into Windows 11 without a Microsoft account, with software engineers 'working on it'

Date:
Sun, 22 Mar 2026 17:30:00 +0000

Description:
Microsoft's year of pushing out upgrades that users actually want appears to have another tweak in store.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
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now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Microsoft may ditch the need to set up Windows 11 with a Microsoft account A company exec says software engineers are working on it There's no indication yet of when the change might be implemented Microsoft has told users that big improvements are coming to Windows 11 improvements covering how much AI appears in the software, how updates are handled, and much more and the operating system's setup process might also be getting a welcome tweak.

As spotted by Windows Latest , in response to a user query on X about being able to set up Windows 11 without a Microsoft account, Microsoft exec Scott Hanselman says software engineers are now "working on it". Hanselman is a
Vice President at Microsoft, and is part of the team tasked with pushing forward his company's year of reliability and performance upgrades for
Windows 11. So far, Microsoft's changes have been positively received, for
the most part. Article continues below You may like Microsoft promises to fix the biggest issues in Windows 11, including AI Microsoft is finally fixing Windows 11 under the hood but is it too late? Microsoft rumored to be
cutting back AI ambitions in bid to save Windows 11

Being able to set up a Windows 11 computer without the hassle of logging into a Microsoft account is something else that's likely to prove popular with users as you can see if you read through some of the comments underneath Handselman's post. Putting the users first Ya I hate that. Working on it
March 20, 2026 While it is still technically possible to set up Windows 11 without a Microsoft account, the workarounds are rather technical and tricky. The local account option has been gradually pushed out of the software over the years.

As we've written in the past , that takes away user choice and flexibility, and there are no doubt some users who would rather not tie their copy of Windows 11 to a Microsoft account or even have a Microsoft account at all.

That Scott Hanselman says this is also something he hates is significant. It shows Microsoft willing to change features for the benefit of end users
rather than prioritizing the best interests of the company. Get daily
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While there's still a lot of work to do to restore trust and goodwill with users, Microsoft is doing okay so far (and we're only in March). As yet there's no indication of when this might roll out however and aside from Scott Hanselman's post on X, there's no official confirmation that the change will happen. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to
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Read our full guide to the best laptops 1. Best overall: Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4 2. Best budget: Asus Chromebook CM14 3. Best Windows 11 laptop Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch 4. Best gaming: Razer Blade 16 5. Best for pros MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/you-might-soon-be-able-to-sign-int o-windows-11-without-a-microsoft-account-with-software-engineers-working-on-it


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