[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-microsoft-quietly-closes-one-click-windows-11-account-bypass":10,"sections":40},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":22,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":30,"tags":31,"sources":35,"feedback":39,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":39,"total_tokens":39},11492,"microsoft-quietly-closes-one-click-windows-11-account-bypass","Microsoft Quietly Closes One-Click Windows 11 Account Bypass","Microsoft silently patched a simple trick that let Windows 11 Home users skip signing in with a Microsoft account, tightening its grip on setup.","Microsoft just shut the door on the easiest way to dodge a Microsoft account during Windows 11 setup.\n\nUntil recently, clicking the \"Learn more\" link on the sign-in screen during Windows 11 Home setup opened a hidden path to a local account, letting users skip entering a Microsoft username or password entirely. That link now leads to a page explaining Microsoft's data policies instead, closing the shortcut. Independent researchers had flagged the workaround on social media about a month before the fix landed, and Microsoft patched it quietly on the server side without any public announcement. Local accounts are still technically possible, but now require command-line tools, third-party utilities, or an enterprise edition of Windows most consumers don't have.\n\nThis is the latest in a string of patches closing loopholes that let Windows 11 Home users avoid signing in with a Microsoft account - a requirement the company has steadily hardened since the OS launched. Each fix narrows the gap between \"Windows 11 Home\" and \"Microsoft account required,\" quietly erasing a choice that used to exist for privacy-conscious or offline users.\n\nMicrosoft frames the account requirement as a faster path to OneDrive and Copilot integration, but it also means your login is increasingly tied to a server Microsoft controls, not just the machine sitting on your desk.","[\"windows-11\",\"microsoft-account\",\"privacy\"]","2026-10-13T16:25:00.000Z","2026-10-13T17:20:07.742Z","2026-10-13T17:20:11.544Z","published",null,[24],{"id":25,"reviewer":26,"round":27,"reason":28,"status":29},"publisher-r1","publisher",1,"The body attributes the discovery to 'Bob Pony' on 'Bluesky,' an unverifiable and suspiciously informal researcher\u002Fplatform combination that reads as a likely factual error or fabrication needing confirmation before publishing.","resolved","software",[32,33,34],"windows-11","microsoft-account","privacy",[36],{"name":37,"url":38},"TechRadar","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.techradar.com\u002Fpro\u002Fmicrosoft-closes-a-worrying-windows-11-account-bypass-hack-all-it-took-was-one-click",0,{"sections":41},[42,47,52,57,62,67,72,77,82,86,91,96,101,106],{"name":43,"slug":44,"count":45,"latest_published_at":46},"AI","ai",6987,"2026-10-13T17:00:00.000Z",{"name":48,"slug":49,"count":50,"latest_published_at":51},"Security","security",969,"2026-10-13T17:18:25.000Z",{"name":53,"slug":54,"count":55,"latest_published_at":56},"Policy","policy",501,"2026-10-13T12:15:53.000Z",{"name":58,"slug":59,"count":60,"latest_published_at":61},"Deals","deals",499,"2026-10-13T16:17:17.000Z",{"name":63,"slug":64,"count":65,"latest_published_at":66},"Hardware","hardware",249,"2026-10-13T17:03:44.000Z",{"name":68,"slug":69,"count":70,"latest_published_at":71},"Consumer Tech","consumer-tech",210,"2026-10-13T17:26:43.000Z",{"name":73,"slug":74,"count":75,"latest_published_at":76},"Science","science",199,"2026-10-13T12:01:37.000Z",{"name":78,"slug":79,"count":80,"latest_published_at":81},"Startups","startups",126,"2026-10-13T16:34:25.000Z",{"name":83,"slug":30,"count":84,"latest_published_at":85},"Software",119,"2026-10-13T17:01:31.000Z",{"name":87,"slug":88,"count":89,"latest_published_at":90},"Dev Tools","dev-tools",116,"2026-10-13T16:20:18.000Z",{"name":92,"slug":93,"count":94,"latest_published_at":95},"General","general",74,"2026-10-13T18:10:08.000Z",{"name":97,"slug":98,"count":99,"latest_published_at":100},"Gaming","gaming",64,"2026-10-13T15:59:07.000Z",{"name":102,"slug":103,"count":104,"latest_published_at":105},"Reviews","reviews",35,"2026-10-12T14:00:00.000Z",{"name":107,"slug":108,"count":109,"latest_published_at":110},"How-To","how-to",8,"2026-10-05T09:00:00.000Z"]