FIX: Microsoft forces to Sign in to access work or school during Windows 11 Setup.
If you keep getting the "Sign in to access work or school" notification in Windows 10/11, or the "Let's set things up for your work or school" prompt during Windows setup, and your device isn't owned by an organization, continue below to fix the problem.
The "Sign in with a Microsoft account to access work or school" prompt typically appears on Windows 10/11 PRO setup when the device is connected to a Microsoft Work or School account via Azure Active Directory (now known as "Microsoft Entra ID").
Additionally, this prompt appears on Windows 11/10 in enterprise environments where periodic user authentication is required to ensure that they have the appropriate permissions to access organizational resources such as email, OneDrive, Office 365, or network shares.
However, many users report that Microsoft forces them to "Sign in to access work or school to access resources" even when their computer is not owned or managed by a company/organization and is personal.
If you are in such a situation and receive the "Sign in to access work or school" notification on your personal PC, either during the installation of Windows 11/10 (eg after a fresh installation or Windows reset), or within the Windows 11/10 environment, please read the instructions below to stop this message from appearing. *
- Related article: How to Install Windows 11 with a Local Account.
How to Bypass Microsoft's "Sign in to access work or school" requirement in Windows 11/10 PRO.
Depending on where you get the "Sign in to access work or school" prompt, go to the appropriate part below.
- Bypass "Sign in to access work or school" requirement in Windows installation/setup.
- Stop the "Sign in to access work or school" pop up notification from appearing inside Windows.
Part 1. How to Bypass "Sign in to access work or school" prompt during Windows Setup .
To stop Windows 11/10 from asking you to "Sign in to access work or school" after a Windows reset or clean install, follow one the methods below.
Method 1. Disable Network and setup a Local Account.
The first method to bypass the "Sign in to access work or school" requirement in Windows 10/11 setup is to bypass the internet connection requirement so that you can create a local account and continue with the installation.
1. At 'Let's set things up for your work or school' prompt, hold down the SHIFT key and then press F10 on your keyboard to open a command prompt window. *
* Note: In some laptops you may need to press the SHIFT + Fn + F10 keys.
2. Click inside the command prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:
-
ncpa.cpl
3. Right-click on each network connection (Wi-Fi and/or Ethernet) and click Disable.
4. After disabling all network connections, click again inside the command prompt window, type the following command and press Enter.
- start ms-cxh:localonly
5. On "Create a user for this PC" window, type a username and a password (optional) for the local account and click Next.
6. That's it! The setup program will continue to install Windows 11 using the local account.
7. After entering into Windows 11, follow the steps below to re-enable the network cards.
8a. Press the Windows 
+ R keys to open the Run command box.
8b. Type ncpa.cpl and press OK or hit Enter to open Network Connections.
9. In Network Connections window, right-click on each Network Connection (Wi-Fi and/or Ethernet) and choose Enable.
10. Finally, connect your computer to the network (Internet) an you're done!
Method 2. Disable Network and continue the Setup in Audit Mode.
The second method to bypass the "Sign in with a Microsoft account to access work or school" requirement during a clean installation of Windows 10/11, is to disconnect from the network, to enter in Audit Mode (sysprep) and to setup a local account. To do that:
1. Follow steps 1-3 in Method-1 above to disable all network connections.
2. After disabling network, close the command prompt window and press CTRL + SHIFT + F3 keys* to restart Windows in Audit Mode.
* Note: In some laptops you may need to press the CTRL + SHIFT + Fn + F3 keys.
3. In 'System Preparation Tool' (sysprep), click OK.
4. After reboot, setup a local account and finish the Windows setup.
5. After installation finishes and enter Windows 11, follow the steps 9-10 in method-1 above to enable the network connections and you're done!
Method 3. Install Windows 11 using an Windows installation media (USB) that bypasses Microsoft Account sign-in requirement.
Another method to prevent Windows 11 from asking you to sign in with a Microsoft account during installation is to create a Windows 11 installation media that bypasses the MS account requirement using the RUFUS Media Creator utility and then to install Windows from it.
Method 4. Install Windows 10/11 Home Edition.
The final method to resolve the mentioned issue is to do a clean install of Windows 11/10 HOME instead of Windows 11/10 PRO.
* Note: In preinstalled Windows 10/11 computers, you may not be able to select a different version of Windows to install. In such a case, read the instructions on this article: FIX: Cannot Select Windows Edition during installation.
Part 2. How to Stop "Sign in to access work or school" notification in Windows 11/10.
If you keep getting message "Sign in to access work or school" in your personal computer, then proceed and remove the Work or School account in Account Settings. To do that:
1. From Start menu, select Settings and then open Accounts.
2. Select Access Work or School on the left and the on the right click Disconnect to remove the Work or School account.
- Related article: FIX: Cannot Remove Microsoft Account because REMOVE button missing in Windows 10/11.
That's it! Which method worked for you?
Let me know if this guide has helped you by leaving your comment about your experience. Please like and share this guide to help others.
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January 15, 2026 @ 9:19 pm
it worked thanks
December 24, 2025 @ 11:39 am
Option 1 worked perfectly for me, thanks a lot!