OOBE.xml

Create a file named Oobe.xml to organize text and images displayed during OOBE, and to specify settings for customizing the first-run experience. You can use multiple Oobe.xml files for language- and region-specific license terms and settings so that users see appropriate info as soon as they start their PCs. By specifying information in the Oobe.xml file, you help fill in some of the required information so that users are asked to do only the core tasks required to set up their PCs.

OOBE.xml settings

You can set the default language, location, and keyboard layout using Oobe.xml. The default values you set in Oobe.xml will be the default values the user sees on the Language, Region, and Keyboard layout selection screens during OOBE. The user can select another value from the list if desired, and their selection will override the Oobe.xml settings.

Note

Starting with Windows 11, version 22H2, you can no longer use Oobe.xml to specify a time zone.

• On PCs that have internet connectivity and the system has permission to use location, the time zone is automatically detected based on available location data sources.
• On PCs that don't have internet connectivity or the system doesn't have permission to use location, the time zone is determined by the region of the device when it exits OOBE.

There are a number of other settings available to enable further customization of OOBE. See Configure Oobe.xml for information about all of the settings available to you.

Configure OOBE.xml for multi-language and region deployments

You can create multiple OOBE.xml files for each language and region you intend to deploy in to provide appropriate default values in each location. For more information, see How OOBE.xml works.

Oobe.xml example

<FirstExperience>
  <oobe>
    <oem>
      <name>Fabrikam</name>
      <eulafilename>eula.rtf</eulafilename>
      <computername>Fabrikam-PC</computername>
      <registration>
        <title>Register your PC</title>
        <subtitle>This page will help Fabrikam know about you.</subtitle>
        <customerinfo>
          <label>Let Fabriakm contact you</label>
          <defaultvalue>true</defaultvalue>
          <showPhoneNumber>true</showPhoneNumber>
        </customerinfo>
        <checkbox1>
          <label>Use Contoso Antimalware to help protect your PC</label>
          <defaultvalue>true</defaultvalue>
        </checkbox1>
        <checkbox2>
          <label>Let Fabrikam send you offers</label>
        </checkbox2>
        <checkbox3>
          <label>Let Fabrikam send you offers</label>
        </checkbox3>
        <link1>
          <label>Learn more about Contoso Antimalware</label>
        </link1>
        <link2>
          <label>Learn more about Fabrikam offers</label>
        </link2>
        <link3>
          <label>Fabrikam privacy statement</label>
        </link3>
        <hideSkip>true</hideSkip>
      </registration>
    </oem>
    <defaults>
      <language>1033</language>
      <location>244</location>
      <keyboard>0409:00000409</keyboard>
    </defaults>
    <hidSetup>
      <title>Pair Your Fabrikam MouseKeyboard</title>
      <mouseImagePath>c:\fabrikam\mouse.png</mouseImagePath>
      <mouseErrorImagePath>c:\fabrikam\errormouse.png</mouseErrorImagePath>
      <mouseText>Pair your mouse now.</mouseText>
      <mouseErrorText>Something has gone wrong.</mouseErrorText>
      <keyboardImagePath>c:\fabrikam\keyboard.png</keyboardImagePath>
      <keyboardErrorImagePath>C:\fabrikam\errorkeyboard.png</keyboardErrorImagePath>
      <keyboardText>Now pair the keyboard.</keyboardText>
      <keyboardErrorText>Keyboard pairing did not happen.</keyboardErrorText>
      <keyboardPINImagePath>c:\fabrikam\keyboardpin.png</keyboardPINImagePath>
      <keyboardPINText>Enter the PIN for your keyboard.</keyboardPINText>
    </hidSetup>
  </oobe>
</FirstExperience>

Note

A minimum amount of information is required for the registration pages to display. You must provide a page title, a page subtitle, the customerinfo element, at least one additional checkbox or one link, and a public key for public/private key encryption. Also if there's no public key in the %systemroot%\system32\Oobe\Info folder, the registration pages aren't shown.