How to set up Windows 11 on a new computer, step by step

What to have ready before you turn it on

• An internet connection. Windows 11 Home, and Windows 11 Pro set up for personal use, need internet access and a Microsoft account to finish first-time setup. Have the Wi-Fi password ready, or an Ethernet cable if the PC has a port.
• The account you will sign in with. A personal Microsoft account, or the work or school account your organization gave you. If you have no Microsoft account, setup can create one.
• A backup of your old PC. If you are replacing a Windows PC, back it up with Windows Backup first, so the new one can restore it during setup (see the backup section below).
• Power. Plug the laptop in. Setup downloads critical updates and drivers, and can restart on its own while it does.

Windows 11 setup, screen by screen

The screens a new PC shows the first time it starts are the out-of-box experience. Microsoft lists them in roughly this order, and some may be skipped or appear in a different order:

1. Language, region and keyboard. Choose the region you live in and the layout printed on your keyboard. Picking a language other than the PC's default makes setup restart.
2. Connect to a network. Required on Home, and on Pro for personal use. Setup then downloads critical patches and driver updates, which can restart the PC; if the connection drops during a restart, some screens repeat.
3. Licence terms. Accept them to continue.
4. How would you like to set up this device? If this screen appears, choose personal use, or Set up for work or school to join the PC to your organization (covered in the business section below).
5. Sign in. Enter your Microsoft account, or create one.
6. Welcome back. Appears when your Microsoft account holds a backup of a previous Windows PC. This is where you restore it.
7. Windows Hello. Set a PIN, and face or fingerprint sign-in if the PC has a compatible camera or reader.
8. Privacy settings. Up to seven switches, depending on the PC. Read each one; you can change them later in Settings > Privacy & security.
9. Optional offers. Questions about how you will use the PC, saving your files to OneDrive, and a Microsoft 365 trial. OneDrive syncs your folders to the cloud, and a free Microsoft account comes with 5 GB of storage, so skip it here if you would rather decide later.
10. Manufacturer pages. Registration screens from the PC maker, also optional.

Microsoft account or local account: the rules in 2026

Microsoft's published requirement is plain: Windows 11 Home, and Windows 11 Pro for personal use, need internet connectivity and a Microsoft account during initial device setup. Pro set up for work or school signs in with the organization's account instead.

For years, guides got around this with commands typed during setup. Microsoft has been closing those paths. Its Windows Insider release notes of March 28, 2025 announced the removal of the bypassnro.cmd script, so that everyone leaves setup online and signed in with a Microsoft account. On October 6, 2025, it said it was removing the known ways of creating a local account during setup, because they also skipped setup screens and could leave a PC not fully configured. Whatever still works on a particular build, a process that depends on it can break with the next update.

The supported way to use a local account is to finish setup with a Microsoft account, then add one:

1. Open Settings > Accounts > Other users and, next to Add other user, select Add account.
2. Select I don't have this person's sign-in information, then Add a user without a Microsoft account, and follow the prompts.
3. If that account needs to install software, select it under Other users, then Change account type, and make it an administrator.

To convert your own sign-in instead, Settings > Accounts > Your info offers Sign in with a local account instead. Before you do either, know what each choice gives you:

Microsoft recommends a Microsoft account, and for a personal PC so do we, mainly because of the encryption row. Microsoft's own BitLocker documentation says a device that uses only local accounts stays unprotected even when its data is encrypted: the drive is left unlocked by a "clear key" until a recovery key is backed up to an account. If you choose a local account anyway, check the encryption settings yourself and make sure a recovery key is saved somewhere you control (both are covered below).

If setup cannot connect to the internet

An internet connection is required to finish setting up Windows Home or Pro, so a PC that cannot get online stops at the network screen. Microsoft's troubleshooting list, in the order worth trying:

• Restart the modem and router, then try again.
• Plug in an Ethernet cable, or a USB-to-Ethernet adapter if the laptop has no port.
• Use your phone's hotspot. Once connected, set the network as metered to limit the data setup uses.
• Try the other Wi-Fi band if your router shows separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks.

If no Wi-Fi networks appear at all, Windows probably lacks the driver for the PC's Wi-Fi adapter. On another computer, download the driver from the PC maker's website, unzip it and copy it to a USB flash drive, with the .inf file in the root of the drive. Plug the drive into the new PC, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt, and load it:

:: find the USB drive's letter in the "Ltr" column, then close DiskPart
diskpart
list volume
exit

:: load every driver in the root of that drive (D: here), then rescan
pnputil /add-driver D:\*.inf
pnputil /scan-devices

This is Microsoft's documented way to add a driver during setup, not a way around the account screen. If the driver comes as an .exe rather than a .zip, running that file may be all it needs; the maker can confirm.

Update Windows and check drivers

Setup installs critical patches, not everything. Once you are at the desktop:

1. Select Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates, install what it finds and restart.
2. Check again after the restart, and repeat until Windows Update finds nothing new.
3. Set active hours, so update restarts happen when you are not using the PC. Keep a laptop plugged in when it is idle, so updates installed outside active hours can finish.

Then check your version in Settings > System > About, under Windows specifications. As of September 2026 the current release is Windows 11 version 25H2. Version 24H2 stops receiving updates for Home and Pro on October 13, 2026, so a new PC still on 24H2 should take the 25H2 feature update when Windows Update offers it. Some PCs launched in 2026 ship with version 26H1, a release for new devices only, which is supported and fine to keep. Security updates arrive on the second Tuesday of each month.

Drivers. Windows Update installs recommended drivers automatically, but optional drivers are not installed until you choose them:

1. Go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options and turn on Receive updates for other Microsoft products.
2. Under Additional options, open Optional updates, select any driver updates listed, and select Download and install.
3. Restart, even if nothing asked you to.

If Windows Update has no driver for a device, get it from the hardware maker's website, not from a third-party driver tool. If you plan to add a second monitor, get the graphics driver current first; multi-monitor setup is its own job.

Activation. Open Settings > System > Activation and check that Windows is activated. A PC sold with Windows 11 activates with the product key its maker supplied: printed on the packaging or Certificate of Authenticity, or stored in the firmware, where Windows reads it without asking. If the page says your Microsoft account is not linked to the digital licence, link it. That link is what lets you reactivate Windows after a significant hardware change, such as a replaced motherboard.

Check the security settings

Open Windows Security from the Start menu. It brings together Microsoft Defender Antivirus, the Windows Firewall and Smart App Control, and it runs from the first start, so a new PC does not need an antivirus product bought separately. If you install one anyway, Defender Antivirus steps aside on a PC that is not managed through Microsoft Defender for Endpoint: it goes into passive mode while Smart App Control is on or in evaluation, and is disabled once Smart App Control is off. Run one antivirus, not two.

Smart App Control blocks malware, potentially unwanted apps and unknown unsigned code. It may run in evaluation mode first, then switch itself on, or off if it would get in your way. Microsoft's documentation says it can only be turned on at a clean install. Windows 11 builds sent to the Release Preview Channel in January 2026 lift that restriction; until your PC has that update, treat switching it off as a one-way decision. Its state is under Windows Security > App & browser control.

Encryption. Device encryption turns on BitLocker automatically for the system drive and other fixed drives, and it is available on Windows 11 Home as well as Pro. The full BitLocker Drive Encryption controls come with Pro, Enterprise and Education. When you set up the PC with a Microsoft account, or a work or school account, device encryption is switched on and the recovery key is saved to that account; with a local account it is not turned on automatically. Since Windows 11 version 24H2 more PCs qualify, because Microsoft dropped two hardware prerequisites: Modern Standby or HSTI support, and the restriction on externally accessible DMA ports.

Check it in Settings > Privacy & security > Device encryption, signed in as an administrator; a standard user does not see the page. If the page is missing, run System Information as administrator and read the line Device Encryption Support. It names the reason, such as a TPM that is not usable or Secure Boot turned off in the firmware.

The BitLocker recovery key is a 48-digit number that Windows asks for when it cannot unlock the drive by itself, for example after a hardware change or a security event at startup. With a Microsoft account, it is stored online, and you can read it from any other device at aka.ms/myrecoverykey. For a work or school account, it is at aka.ms/aadrecoverykey or with your IT team. You can also make extra copies from Manage BitLocker > Back up your recovery key: to your account, a USB drive, a file or a printout, kept away from the laptop.

Sign-in. Windows Hello replaces the password with a PIN, face recognition through an infrared camera, or a fingerprint reader. The PIN is tied to that one device, which makes it safer than reusing your account password. Set them up in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.

Everyday account. An administrator has complete control of the PC, so Microsoft advises keeping administrators few and using a standard account day to day. Encryption protects a lost or stolen laptop; for the other ways people read what is not theirs, from screens to shared networks, see our guide to snooping attacks.

Bring your files over and set up backup

If your old PC used Windows Backup, the new PC offers to restore it on the Welcome back screen during setup, provided you sign in with the same Microsoft account. If more than one PC is backed up, select More options to pick the right one. Your Start pins come back where they were. Apps from the Microsoft Store reinstall when you select their pin; for other apps, Windows sends you to the web for the installer. Your files come back through OneDrive.

No backup yet? On the old PC, open Windows Backup from the Start menu, choose the folders to include (Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music) and the settings to save, and select Back up. The folders are synced to OneDrive, and a free Microsoft account includes 5 GB, so a large photo library needs more storage or another route, such as an external drive. Windows Backup works with personal Microsoft accounts only, not work or school accounts. Microsoft's separate PC-to-PC transfer option is no longer available; Microsoft now points to Windows Backup and restore instead.

If the old PC runs Windows 10, it has not received free security updates since support ended on October 14, 2025: move its files, then retire it.

On the new PC, turn Windows Backup on as well (Settings > Accounts > Windows backup). A synced folder mirrors the changes you make to it, so keep a second copy of anything irreplaceable, such as photos and records, on an external drive that you disconnect after each backup.

Remove apps you do not need

New PCs arrive with trial software, the maker's utilities and apps pinned to Start that you may never open. Three ways to remove them:

• Start > All apps, then right-click the app and select Uninstall.
• Settings > Apps > Installed apps, then the More button beside the app, then Uninstall.
• Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features, for older desktop programs that Settings cannot remove.

Some apps are built into Windows and cannot be uninstalled. Keep anything from the PC maker that delivers firmware and driver updates; remove duplicates of what Windows already does.

To cut the advertising, go to Settings > Privacy & security: turn off the advertising ID under Recommendations & offers, and turn off personalized offers. Turning off the advertising ID makes ads less targeted, not fewer.

Installing Windows yourself on a new or self-built PC

Most new computers come with Windows installed, and all they need is the setup above. You install Windows yourself when you build a PC, or when you want a clean installation without the manufacturer's customizations. You need a Windows licence (a 25-character product key or a digital licence), and hardware that meets the Windows 11 minimums:

On a working PC, download the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft's Windows 11 download page, run it, choose Create installation media for another PC and write it to a blank USB flash drive of at least 8 GB; everything on the drive is erased. The tool makes media for x64 processors only; Arm-based PCs use Microsoft's separate Arm64 image. For Linux instead of Windows, see how to install Linux.

Then, on the new PC:

1. Plug in the USB drive and turn the PC on. If it does not start from the drive, open the boot menu or change the boot order, usually with F2, F12, Delete or Esc right after power-on; the maker's documentation has the exact key.
2. In Select language settings and Select keyboard settings, make your choices and select Next.
3. In Select setup option, choose Install Windows 11, confirm that everything will be deleted, and select Next.
4. If a Product key window appears, enter your key, or select I don't have a product key if your digital licence is already linked to your Microsoft account. The window does not appear when a key is stored in the PC's firmware. Choose the edition that matches your licence.
5. Accept the licence terms.
6. In Select location to install Windows 11, delete the partitions on Disk 0 only, until a single Unallocated Space entry remains, select it and select Next. Leave any other disk alone.
7. Select Install. The PC restarts several times, then opens the setup screens described at the top of this guide.

If you reinstall later and have no product key, make sure your digital licence is linked to your Microsoft account first; otherwise Windows may not activate.

Setting up Windows PCs for a business

A company PC should not be set up like a personal one. On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education, choose Set up for work or school during setup and sign in with the credentials your organization provided, which can be a password or a passkey. Windows then joins the PC to Microsoft Entra ID (the new name for Azure Active Directory), and enrols it in a mobile device management service such as Microsoft Intune if the organization requires it. Home editions cannot join Entra ID, though they can use Microsoft Entra registration instead. To confirm the join, check Settings > Accounts > Access work or school. On a joined PC, the BitLocker recovery key is backed up to Entra ID, where IT can reach it.

For more than a handful of PCs, Windows Autopilot removes the setup work almost entirely. The device's hardware identity (its hardware hash) is registered with the organization's Autopilot service, ideally by the manufacturer, reseller or distributor before the PC reaches the user. When the user opens the box, the only steps left for them are connecting to a network and signing in. Autopilot then joins the PC to Entra ID, enrols it in Intune, applies settings and policies, installs apps and can upgrade the edition from Pro to Enterprise, all without re-imaging the device.

The newer Windows Autopilot device preparation does the same with a simpler profile: at enrolment the device joins a security group and receives the apps and scripts assigned to it. It needs Windows 11 version 24H2, or 22H2 and 23H2 with update KB5035942 or later. Automatic Intune enrolment through Autopilot needs a Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 subscription.

If you are setting up PCs for a team and would rather not build this yourself, our IT support service covers device set-up for new starters, with Microsoft Intune and Windows Autopilot, and the Microsoft Entra ID identities behind them.

Common Windows setup problems and fixes