Microsoft asks you to update the browser during Windows 11 install. How is this even possible?

Microsoft recently debuted a new Windows Setup experience in the Windows Insider Program, and it will soon be available to experience for all Windows users. Until then, however, installing Windows 11 can be a tricky experience for many users, including this Reddit user who found themselves right in the middle of a dilemma.

Why is Microsoft asking us to update Microsoft Edge, or any other browser, right in the middle of the Windows 11 install?

Should it really be this hard to install Windows after all these years. Come on Microsoft lol. Surely you know I can’t update my “device or browser” during an OS installation.

Reddit user

As part of the Windows 11 install process, Microsoft asks users to connect to their Microsoft account, to have a more integrated experience. However, if you happen to install Windows 11 on a fresh device, and that device hasn’t had a chance to connect to the Internet, you basically cannot connect to the Internet.

So why is Microsoft asking for it every time?

Of course, the Redmond tech giant knows just how absurd that request is, and it lets users connect to their Microsoft account after the installation is done. However, you’ll need to enter some wrong credentials, so that Windows can show you an error, which will give you the option to link your account at a later date.

Very intuitive, right?

Of course, there are some ways around it, according to other Reddit users, and one of the most efficient ways to deal with it is to access the Audit mode with a special command.

You can bypass the network connection requirement during setup by pressing shift + f10, then entering “oobe\bypassnro” (without quotation marks), and pressing enter. Pc should reboot and let you continue without connecting to a network or adding an account.

Reddit user

So the command would be:

1. Press Shift + F10.
2. Enter this command: oobe\bypassnro

In Audit mode there is a special ability, called Bypass OOBE, which according to Microsoft, does the following:

You can access the desktop as quickly as possible. You do not have to configure default settings such as a user account, location, and time zone.

Microsoft

If you’re not sure about this method, the other popular one is to just type in test (or any other words), as the credentials for the account. Microsoft won’t recognize it, and it falls back to the local account creation, effectively allowing you to install Windows 11 without an Internet connection.

We can’t even install Windows 11 without the Internet, right?