Yes,

• disconnect internet on install
• install and get to the initial setup screen (out of box experience screen where you setup keyboard, etc)
• press shift+f10 to get console
• run "OOBE/BYPASSNRO"

It will reboot and bring you back to that same initial setup but when you get to the account page you will have an option for "I don't have internet" which then will allow you to create a local account.

They were going to remove this but haven't yet, at least the last time I setup a VM for some windows only software about a month ago.

Edit: This was a fresh install, not a 10->11 upgrade. I haven't tried that way so I can't confirm if it works on a keep everything upgrade.

Build your USB installer using RUFUS.

The SELECT drop-down (the down arrow itself, not the entire button) even downloads a generic multi-version of the latest Win11.

It’s at the last step before creating the installer when RUFUS gives you a bunch of settings that you can leverage, one of which is a Microsoft Account bypass so you can create a local account.

I love Linux. I really do. I would say 99.9% of all services I self-host are things I run on Linux. And the other 0.1% I’m actively looking for a way to run on Linux or just don’t run at all. But as a desktop, there are things that I just can do as well or at all on Linux. And most of that are drivers or utilities that just either ignore Linux or half-ass it. Which is not Linux’s fault, but it is what it is.

An example: I have a laser cutter in my shop. I use Lightburn. They essentially have stopped all development on the Linux version years ago. So I have an old Macmini running the Mac version (I despise windows with the passion of 1000 suns). So no Linux there. I haven’t looked for a decent Linux version so something might exist. But what I have works and I have other more fun things to try.

But Linux on the desktop can have advantages. At work, the desktop management shit is really getting annoying and increasingly affects my Mac desktop. I don’t need some central office making choices on my desktop/laptop when I know more than most of them. Not to mention I do weird things with networking for my lab that is so outside of normal, I guarantee they have never even considered. Case in point, they were forcing reboots to upgrade the day of any OS update. Even dot 0 releases. I’m like WTAF. I got them to allow a week which is better I guess. They haven’t figured at how to force that on Linux yet so there is a reason to move to Linux for sure. But this advantage for Linux is basically due to the same thing. Linux is ignored on the desktop.

I still run a small constellation of programs (some obscure) that are required for my workflows that have neither a Linux version that is perfectly file-compatible, nor can be run reliably under WINE.

Plus, I also provide tech support for others, so being able to “mirror” actions on my own iron as I’m helping them is a massive plus. Differences between installs has helped me catch config issues on many occasions.

So unfortunately, running Windows is still a must-do for the foreseeable future. Now granted, I also have a good half-dozen workstations, which also run MacOS, OpenBSD, OpenSUSE, and various other virtualized fun shit (HaikuOS, etc.).