Sergey Tkachenko, Author at Winaero

It is still possible to bypass Microsoft Account in Windows 11 25H2

Bypassing Microsoft Account Requirement during Windows 11 25H2 installation is easy with a just single command. Microsoft has made it mandatory for users to connect to the Internet and log in with a Microsoft account during the installation of Windows 11 version 25H2. While this approach aligns with Microsoft's push toward cloud-connected experiences, not everyone is fond of this requirement, especially privacy-conscious users who prefer local accounts. Recently, a popular workaround oobe\bypassnro.cmd to bypass this requirement stopped functioning, but a new and even simpler method has emerged.

Windows 11 Build 26120.3653 (Beta) Introduced Quick Machine Recovery (QMR)

Windows 11 Build 26120.3653 is now available to Insiders running Windows 11 (version 24H2) in the Beta channel. The update has been released via KB5053658 and comes with several new features. Quick Machine Recovery, Speech Recap in Narrator, new BSOD design, and the new Share dialog are among them.

Microsoft introduces Startup Boost for Office to speed up the launch of its apps

Microsoft has introduced Startup Boost, a feature that preloads Office apps in the background to make them launch faster. It will be available to all users by May 2025 but comes with system requirements (8 GB RAM, 5 GB disk space). While users can disable it, updates will reactivate it unless enterprises use Group Policy to permanently turn it off.

Microsoft launches Windows Roadmap website to track new feature rollouts

Microsoft’s feature rollout process for Windows 11 has become increasingly disorganized, with features appearing unpredictably across channels and devices due to A/B testing. This chaos has made it difficult for users, especially IT professionals, to stay informed. To combat this, Microsoft has introduced the Windows Roadmap, a website that categorizes features by their testing and rollout stages. While the underlying unpredictability remains, the roadmap provides much-needed transparency and planning tools, marking a step in the right direction.

Windows 11 Build 26200.5516 (Dev) Improves Narrator, Sharing, and adds new BSOD style

Microsoft has released a new preview of Windows 11, build 26200.5516 (KB5054687), to Insiders in the Dev channel. It is featuring an updated BSOD style,

Microsoft Account Sign-In Page Gets New Design and Dark Theme Support

Microsoft is rolling out a refreshed sign-in experience for personal Microsoft accounts, which users will encounter when accessing services like Outlook, Windows, Xbox, Microsoft 365, and others. This update introduces a modernized design aligned with the Fluent 2 style and adds support for a dark theme, particularly in the Xbox color scheme. The redesign aims to streamline the sign-in process by emphasizing passwordless authentication and improving the overall user experience.

Windows 11 now allows creating ReFS partitions when you setup the OS

The latest Windows 11 Insider build (27823) for the Canary channel comes with a notable change: the Windows installer now offers the option to format partitions using the ReFS (Resilient File System) in addition to the default NTFS. The feature appears to still be in development, as evidenced by the incomplete UI, but it indicates that Microsoft is taking serious the idea to use ReFS widely in the future Windows versions.

Author: Sergey Tkachenko