Peace has once again returned to the valley! Earlier this year, Redmond made another extreme move by making internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account mandatory for installing Windows 11 22H2.
Insiders builds thereof, but still.
This was something that the community neither appreciated nor took lightly. After all, not everyone wants in on a Microsoft Account or having all their machines connected to them. Luckily, workarounds were quickly discovered that could be used to install version 22H2 via a local account.
Now, Rufus has joined the party, too.
Who, or what, is Rufus, you ask?
Well, if this is the first time you are hearing about this nifty little tool, then a little primer on this amazing piece of software is in order.
Rufus is a small utility that helps prepare your Windows installation media. It can also format and create bootable flash drives and USB memory sticks. Everything you need is included; you just point to the ISO media of your chosen operating system, and the program does the rest.
The app’s version 3.19 is now in beta, and it includes a new option to bypass the mandatory requirement for a Microsoft Account on the latest operating system version.
This feature is part of Rufus’s new selection dialog for Windows 11 setup customization. In addition to this bypass for MSA, the dialog also offers options for TPM and Secure Boot bypass, which were added in the previous version.
Of course, this is not a release version of the program. It remains a beta, under testing, until launch.
But if you are in the process of installing Windows 11 version 22H2 on your devices and could do without the mandatory Microsoft Account requirement that is now in place, then this provides you with the best option to bypass it without the need for loopy workarounds.
You can grab Rufus 3.19 from the official site and check out its product page on GitHub.
Download: Rufus
