How to Setup and Install Windows 11 Without the Internet?

The Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 version 22H2 require an internet connection to complete the out-of-box experience (OOBE) initial setup.

The older versions of Windows 11 and all versions of Windows 10 didn’t have this requirement, but now you must have a working connection to finish the installation.

If you don’t have it, the setup will take you to a page saying “Oops, you’ve lost your internet connection”. And even if you click Retry, the prompt will ask you to connect to the internet.

Having said that, it’s not impossible to set up and install Windows 11 without an internet connection, and there are multiple ways to bypass this requirement.

I will list down all the steps you need to take for this installation and all four methods that you can implement in the next section.

But just as a warning, doing this will delete all your data on the computer. So make sure you have a backup before going through this process.

Install Windows 11 Without the Internet

I’ll start with the first step, where you’ll be inserting the USB flash drive for Windows 11, and then, as we move on, you’ll learn exactly how to carry out the installation.

Here are the steps to set up and install Windows 11 without the internet:

1. Insert the Windows 11 USB and start your PC.
2. Press any key and select Next.

3. Select Install now.

4. Enter the Windows product key or select ‘I don’t have a product key’ if you’re reinstalling Windows.

5. Accept the license terms and select Next.
6. Select Custom: Install Windows Only (advanced).

7. Select and delete each partition on the hard drive where you want to install Windows. Mostly, it will be Drive 0.

Note: Deleting partitions is equivalent to removing all the data from the hard drive. Moreover, don’t delete the partitions of secondary hard drives.

1. Select Drive 0 (unallocated space) for Windows 11 installation and select Next.

2. Wait for the installation to complete.
3. Select your region on the out-of-the-box experience (OOBE) page.

4. Select the keyboard layout and click Yes.

5. Click skip if you don’t want a secondary layout.
6. Now you will be at the ‘Let’s connect to a network’ or ‘Oops, you’ve lost your internet connection’ page.

Once you’re here, there are 4 ways to bypass this, and I’ll be discussing them one by one.

1st Way: Using the Bypass Command

1. Press Shift + F10.
2. In the command prompt, type:

   OOBE\BYPASSNRO

3. Press Enter, and the PC will restart.
4. Now select ‘I don’t have internet’ on the OOBE page.

5. Click Continue with Limited Setup.

6. Proceed with the next steps shown on the screen now.

2nd Way: Using Task Manager

1. Press Shift + F10.
2. In the command prompt, type:

   taskmgr

3. Hit Enter.
4. You can also open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
5. Afterward, select Network Connection Flow in the Processes tab and select End Task.

6. Now type Exit and hit enter in the command prompt.
7. Proceed with the installation.

3rd Way: Using Command Prompt to Kill the Task

1. Press Shift + F10 to open the command prompt.
2. Paste the following command and hit Enter:

   taskkill /F /IM oobenetworkconnectionflow.exe

3. Exit the command prompt and continue the Windows 11 installation.

4th Way: Using Alt and F4

When you’re on the ‘Let’s connect you to the internet’ screen, simply press Alt + F4 to close this screen and move on to the next one. Afterward, you can continue with the setup.

And this is how you can do Windows 11 setup without an internet connection. The steps are basic and don’t require much technicality. However, if you are still stuck somewhere in the installation, then let us know in the comments below, and we’ll suggest some fixes or alternate ways.