You can configure Windows 10 to auto login and boot straight to the desktop without entering the user password. Here is how you can do it.
To log into a Windows 10 computer, you have to enter the user password every time. This helps protect your user account and files on the system from any unauthorized access. However, if you don’t like entering the login password every time, you can skip it entirely and boot directly to the desktop. This is especially useful for single-user systems where you are the only one who uses the system.
There are two ways to configure Windows 10 auto login. First, you can use the netplwiz tool. Second, you can use the Registry Editor to set up automatic login. Both of these methods work with local and Microsoft accounts.
Without any delay, let me show the steps to set up auto login in Windows 10 to login without entering a user password.
Windows 10 auto login with netplwiz
Netplwiz is an advanced user account management tool. Using netplwiz, you can set up Windows 10 auto login in just a couple of steps. Here’s how.
- Open the Run window with the “Win + R” shortcut.
- Type “netplwiz” and press Enter.
- Select the user account in the “Users” tab.
- Uncheck the “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” checkbox.
- Click on the “Apply” button.
- Type the password twice and click “Ok”
That is it. With that, you’ve configured the automatic login process in Windows 10.
Detailed steps:
1. Search “netplwiz” in the start menu and click on the “Run as Administrator” option. You can also use the Run dialog box to open the Advanced User Accounts applet.
2. Select your user account under “Users for this computer” and uncheck the “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” checkbox.
3. Click on the “Apply” button.
4. You will be prompted to enter the user account password. Type the password twice and click on the “Ok” button.
That is it. You’ve enabled Windows 10 auto login feature.
Disable auto login with netplwiz
To disable automatic login and enable password protection for your user account, open “netplwiz,” select the user account and check the “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” option. Click the “Apply” button to save changes and restart the computer.
I cannot see the “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” option.
Important: If you are using Windows 10 Hello feature like the pin, picture, face detection, or fingerprint authentication, you will not see the “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” option in netplwiz. Disable Windows Hello to use auto login.
Detailed steps: fix missing “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer” option.
Windows 10 auto login with Registry
You can use the “AutoAdminLogon” registry key to set up automatic logon in Windows 10. Before making any changes, back up the registry.
1. Search for “regedit” in the start menu and open it.
2. Paste the below path in the address bar and press Enter.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
3. Right-click on Winlogon folder and select “New → String Value.” Name the value as “DefaultUserName.” Double-click on the “DefaultUserName” value, type your username, and click “Ok.”
4. Right-click on the Winlogon folder again and select “New → String Value.” Name the value as “DefaultPassword.”
5. Double-click on the DefaultPassword value, enter the password in the Value Data field and click on the “Ok” button to save changes.
6. Right-click on the Winlogon folder and select “New → String Value.” Name the value as “AutoAdminLogon.” Double-click on the “AutoAdminLogon” value, type “1” in the Value Data field, and click “Ok.”
7. Close the registry editor and restart the system
From now on, Windows 10 will not ask for password and auto logins you to your desktop.
Disable auto login with registry
To disable Windows 10 auto login, go to the registry location and set the AutoAdminLogon to “0”. You can also delete the “DefaultPassword” value.
Important note: As good as the Windows 10 auto login feature is, enabling automatic login will lessen the security. This is because any user who has physical access to your system can boot into your user account without any restrictions. So, think twice before configuring auto-login.
Hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible.
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