How to Fix Windows 11 Setup Getting Stuck at “Just a Moment” (Complete Guide)

When installing or resetting Windows 11, getting trapped on the spinning circle screen that says “Just a moment…” is one of the most frustrating setup roadblocks. This issue occurs when the Windows Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) background processes enter a deadlock—usually caused by a stalled internet connection trying to download mandatory setup updates, a corrupted temporary user profile, or conflicting peripheral drivers. To fix Windows 11 setup stuck at “Just a moment”, you can disconnect your PC from the internet to break the update loop, restart the OOBE connection flow using Task Manager via Shift + F10, or boot into Safe Mode to complete account creation.

Once you reach your desktop, you can permanently activate your system using a genuine Windows 11 Pro retail license to ensure smooth future updates.

1. Why Does Windows 11 Get Stuck at “Just a Moment”?

During the initial Windows 11 Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), several complex background processes run simultaneously: user account creation, Microsoft telemetry synchronization, cloud settings restore, and Windows Update patching.

If your internet connection experiences packet loss or the Microsoft authentication service suffers a momentary timeout, the setup wizard enters an infinite polling loop while waiting for a response that never arrives.

2. Method 1: The Network Disconnect Trick (Immediate Fix)

In over 70% of cases, the “Just a moment” loop is caused by Windows trying to download background updates before creating your user account. Cutting the network connection forces Windows to bypass the cloud check:

1. If connected via an Ethernet cable, unplug it from the back of your PC immediately.
2. If connected via Wi-Fi, briefly turn off your home router or press the physical Wi-Fi switch on your laptop.
3. Within 30 seconds of losing internet access, Windows will realize the cloud update is unreachable, break out of the loop, and immediately display the local account setup screen.

3. Method 2: Terminate Network Connection Flow via Shift + F10

If disconnecting the internet does not automatically advance the screen, you can forcefully kill the frozen OOBE process:

1. On the stuck “Just a moment” screen, press Shift + F10 (or Fn + Shift + F10).
2. In the Command Prompt window, type taskmgr and press Enter to launch Task Manager.
3. Click More details if Task Manager is in compact view.
4. Locate Network Connection Flow (or OOBENetworkConnectionFlow.exe) in the list of processes.
5. Right-click it and select End task. The frozen screen will immediately transition to the next step.

4. Method 3: Force Safe Mode Boot to Bypass Setup

If the background installer scripts are completely frozen, booting into Safe Mode allows Windows to finalize the default user profile without running the OOBE network stack:

1. Hold your computer’s physical power button for 10 seconds to force a hard shutdown.
2. Turn it back on. As soon as you see the Windows logo, hold the power button again to force shutdown. Repeat this 3 times until you see Preparing Automatic Repair.
3. Select Advanced options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
4. Press 4 or F4 to boot into Safe Mode.
5. Windows will launch directly into the desktop. Once inside, simply restart your PC normally!

5. Method 4: Unplug All Non-Essential Hardware Peripherals

Windows 11 setup attempts to detect and configure drivers for all connected USB devices during the “Just a moment” phase. Printers, secondary monitors, external hard drives, and USB hubs can cause driver polling deadlocks.

Unplug every external cable except for your basic keyboard and mouse, then perform a single restart.

For more troubleshooting guides, read our tutorial on clean installing Windows 11 without losing your files.

6. Frequently Asked Questions