Microsoft ends use of bypassnro.cmd for Windows 11

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File:Screen shot of change found in Windows preview blog.jpg

In a Windows insider blog published March 28, 2025, under the section "[other] changes", the removal of bypassnro.cmd script is announced. This script is used to complete a new Windows installation without connecting to the internet or creating a Microsoft account.

Bypassing this step is popular because linking the login of a Windows installation to a Microsoft account leads to the hard drive encryption keys being sent to Microsoft, loss of access to the system and data if Microsoft blocks the account, allows for telemetry data to be associated with the user's personal information and requires the user to consent to even more terms when creating the account vs. just the EULA for the software.

Consumer response

A new way has been discovered, using Developer Console with Ctrl + Shift + J and enter command.

WinJS.Application.restart("ms-cxh://LOCALONLY")