My last round of Windows 11 installs, I just created a new MS account for the install, created a local admin user, and then deleted the MS account from the machine and built local accounts out normally.

I'm sure, somewhere, there's a Microsoft VP whose "New MS accounts" KPI looks great...

MS is using the boiling frog strategy. They will likely increase the difficulty of creating/using local accounts in the future, with the end game of completely removing support in a couple of years. Then you will either need an MS online account or an enterprise AD account.

Well it's all a part of them trying to turn Windows into iOS like device management system, including the "family" aspect of app store and subscriptions.

When was the last time you used an iOS device without an Apple ID?

“When was the last time you used an iOS device without an Apple ID?”

So that’s what I’m doing wrong!

> When was the last time you used an iOS device without an Apple ID?

That's not the point. The point is that Apple gives you a choice.

Have you actually used the device with that choice? Pretty hard when every app and functionality expects some sort of cross device or global identity tie in.

BTW, the choice still exists but is only readily shown on enterprise sku

I wonder how that affects activation.

There are so many (and so simple) workarounds that it almost feels intentional. My favourite one is typing "[email protected]" as email, literally anything as password, and this will throw an error and viola, prompt you to create a local account. Been using this in the latest Windows 11 Dev builds, no MSA required. Even Microsoft Store works without MSA!

Have they removed the "Domain Join instead" option?

I thought I read somewhere that they broke that workaround now.

I've encountered machines with Windows 11 preinstalled that by all appearances were not going to let you proceed with setup without connecting, but Alt-F4 would get you past that step. More recently I've seen some machines that have a "Continue with limited setup" option similar to what Win10 offered.