Elon Musk recently bought a new Windows laptop and was surprised to find out that he needed to create a Microsoft account to use it. Musk expressed his frustration on X (formerly Twitter) where he wrote about his disappointment with the Microsoft account requirement for Windows 11.
“Just bought a new PC laptop and it won’t let me use it unless I create a Microsoft account, which also means giving their AI access to my computer! This is messed up. There used to be an option to skip signing into or creating a Microsoft account. Are you seeing this too?”
Musk then took to Twitter to address Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella directly, asking for the option to skip creating a Microsoft account when setting up a Windows PC. He also pointed out the limitation of not being able to use a work email address for the account.
“Satya, I don’t mean to be a pain, but please allow users setting up a new Windows PC to skip creating a Microsoft account. This option disappears when the computer is connected to WiFi. Also, even if you do want to sign up, it won’t allow you to use a work email address, and I only have work email addresses!”
Despite the initial hassle, Musk was eventually able to set up his Windows PC without a Microsoft account, thanks to helpful instructions from a follower. While it is still possible to use Windows 11 without a Microsoft account, it requires some unconventional methods.
This article was translated from German to English and originally appeared on pcwelt.de.
