You won’t be able to install Windows 11 without an internet connection and a Microsoft account.
Even though Windows 12 is said to be in the works, Microsoft is still working hard on Windows 11. In addition to changes in appearance and functionality, the company now also wants to tighten the installation conditions for Windows 11 Pro.
The changes are already in the Patch-Notes You can find them in the current Insider Preview version, you will probably only see them in the live version with the big feature update in the fall.
So far, you could also install Windows 11 Pro in offline mode. So you don’t need an internet connection or a Microsoft account to install the operating system. According to the patch notes, that will change soon. Accordingly, the “Windows 11 Pro edition now includes internet connectivity during the initial setup of the device if you want to use it for personal purposes. MSA [Microsoft Account, anm.d. Red.] is also required for the installation.“
The Windows 11 Pro version follows the Home version. Because you could only install it from the start with an internet connection and a Microsoft account. After installation, there is also an option to use an offline account for Windows 11. You can find out to what extent Microsoft is becoming even more intrusive with Windows 11 in the following article:
more on the subject
Microsoft is getting more intrusive than ever with Win 11 Home
The update brings even more changes
The requirement for a Microsoft account upon installation is not the only change in the new Insider Preview version. Among other things, the good, old task manager gets a new look including dark mode, rearranged menu bar and new functionality.
You’ll also soon be able to create and pin folders in the Start menu, use new touch gestures, and Windows 11 is getting an improvement to the Snap feature. This will drag a window to the top of the screen, where you’ll see the layout options. The window is then automatically inserted into the selected layout.
Internet connection and Microsoft account does not seem to be a big hurdle for you
Despite the online and Microsoft account compulsion during installation, almost 30 percent of you are already using Windows 11. This is the result of our Gamestar survey on your operating system. However, we cannot see here whether you have Windows 11 Home or Pro installed.
Since the home version should be perfectly sufficient for the vast majority of users, we assume that the majority of you mean this. Did you install the Pro version? Let us know why. However, the majority of you still use Windows 10 at 65 percent. Linux is in third place with 2.9 percent.
Can the upcoming changes of Windows 11 convince you or do you prefer to stay with Windows 10 for the time being? If you use the Pro version: What do you think about the future obligation to have an internet connection during installation? Please let us know.
