Many users on Windows 11 prefer to use local accounts, despite the fact that during the operating system setup process you will be prompted to enter the email address associated with your Microsoft account. Until recently, you could enter a random email address and password, get an error when trying to sign in, and proceed to create a local account. It has now become known that Microsoft has fixed this bug and it is no longer possible to create a local account using this scheme.
Most often, Windows 11 users choose local accounts, as this approach gives more control over their own data and implies a higher level of privacy. However, using local accounts also loses access to some useful features, such as backing up account data and special features in apps like Copilot. To create a local account, it was enough to enter a fictitious mailbox address and a random password in the registration field. After verifying the data, the operating system will expectedly generate an error and the user can continue to create a local account.
Now it has become known that this well-known method of registering a local account in Windows 11 no longer works. Apparently Microsoft fixed a bug that allowed you to create a local account. Instead of proceeding to the next step, the user will receive an error message and be prompted to enter a valid email address until the correct Microsoft account credentials are provided.
Previously, users could also turn off the Internet before setting up Windows 11, which also made it possible to create a local account. Now this method is also not available and users should look for other solutions or use valid Microsoft accounts to sign in.