Microsoft is forcing the issue of whether to upgrade to Windows 11. Organizations have until October 2025, or they must pay for updates to Windows 10. Use of Windows 10 can continue afterward, but ...

Upgrading to Windows 11 is still possible even after Windows 10 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025. Although many devices continue to run the retired operating system, switching to Windows ...

Windows 11 has a new preview build It cracks down on workarounds to install the OS with a local account This is a continued campaign to force people to use a Microsoft account, and Microsoft argues it ...

Microsoft is blocking another way to choose a local account in Windows 11. You'd force a local account by disconnecting from the network. The block is currently in place in the latest Windows 11 ...

Microsoft has fired its latest salvo in the battle against Windows 11 customers who would rather sign in with a local account than a Microsoft account. Announcing a new Windows 11 Insider build, the ...

A newly discovered trick allows Windows 11 users to bypass Microsoft’s online account requirement during setup, raising questions around user control and privacy ...

Microsoft's latest Insider Preview, Build 26220.6772, introduces a significant policy change: removal of known workarounds to skip Microsoft Account setup during Windows 11 installation (OOBE).

Update, Jan. 29, 2025: This story, originally published Jan. 27, has been updated with an in-depth explanation of the principle of least privilege, along with additional mitigation advice regarding ...

A previously unknown trick lets you easily bypass using a Microsoft Account in Windows 11, just as Microsoft tries to make it harder to use local accounts. Since the release of Windows 11, Microsoft ...

Microsoft is tightening the reins on new installations of Windows 11 with stricter Microsoft account requirements. As participants in the Windows Insider Program have ...

Microsoft really doesn’t want you creating a local account on Windows 11. Microsoft really doesn’t want you creating a local account on Windows 11. is a senior editor and author of Notepad, who has ...