Windows 2000, XP, and even Vista all would install without any need for an active internet connection. Starting with Win7 – and running through 8, 8.1, and 10 – MS was prompting users to connect to the internet in order to a) create a Microsoft online account and b) patch the system before you really start using it. It was an optional step that was easily bypassed (although on 10 they started “hiding” the option). But with Windows 11… not so much.

I should also note that the Pro, Education, and Enterprise variants are not impacted by this problem.

During the installation/configuration steps when setting up your Out Of Box Experience (OOBE comes back in just a few moments), simply follow along once you get to the Network Selection screen options.

Shift + F10
OOBE\BYPASSNRO
<enter>

Shift + F10 will open a command prompt window. OOBE\BYPASSNRO command sets the Out of Box Experience (see, I told you it would come back) to bypass the need for networking and registration options.

The computer will automatically reboot at this point and you’ll be able to continue with the initial setup steps and get to you Win 11 desktop without registering or connecting to a network. Huge benefit when setting up a workstation while not near an active network drop – or when I had a rather lengthy layover at an airport and wanted to pass the time on my dev laptop.