How to Auto Login Windows 10
It is useful to have the option when logging into Windows, especially when a computer is used in a trusted family environment.
If auto login is set, you won’t be bothered by an annoying lock screen every time you start, or restart your computer.
Here we will show you how to set up the windows 10 auto login feature using two different methods.
Setup auto login (easy method)
1. Open the Run command window
Open the Run command window by pressing and holding down the Windows key ⊞ then tapping ‘R’ and releasing the Windows key.
2. Type in netplwiz and click ‘OK’
Left-click in the text box next to ‘Open:’. Type in ‘netplwiz‘ (without quotes) and hit the ‘OK’ button.
3. Uncheck Users must enter a user name and password
Press the left mouse button on the checkbox to uncheck ‘Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.’
If it is already unchecked, check it then uncheck it.
4. Enter your login credentials
After you uncheck the checkbox as instructed in the previous step, you will be presented with a small new window asking for your login username and password.
Enter your username and password and hit the ‘OK’ button.
Enabling Windows 10 auto login using the Registry Editor
This is another method to accomplish the same thing in the steps above but in more of a manual fashion.
You are about to edit the Registry, so I advise you to make a restore point on your computer before continuing. This way you can always restore your computer to this point if anything gets messed up.
1. Open the Registry Editor
Open the run dialog window by pressing and holding the Windows key ⊞ on your keyboard and tapping the ‘R’ key then release the Windows key.
Left-click in the text box next to ‘Open’. Type in ‘regedit‘ (without quotes). Hit the ‘OK’ button.
The Registry Editor will now be open.
2. Navigate to the Winlogon subkey
Click on the expansion markers (>) down the navigation tree on the left to open the following key branches:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion
Left-click on the ‘Winlogon’ key itself to display its values in the right pane.
3. Edit the Default user name and password keys
Right-click your on the value called ‘DefaultUserName’. Click on the ‘Modify…’ item in the contextual menu.
Edit the value data text box to match your user name. Click on the ‘OK’ button to save the value.
If the DefaultPassword value doesn’t exist
There is a chance that the ‘DefaultPassword’ value doesn’t exist. In this case, create a new string value like this:
Select the ‘Edit’ item in the menu across the top area of the Registry Editor.
Hover your mouse pointer over ‘New’ and left-click on the ‘String Value’ item in the pop-out menu.
Type ‘DefaultPassword’ into the name box without the quotes and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Right-click on the value called ‘DefaultPassword’. Hit the ‘Modify…’ item in the contextual menu.
In the Value Data text box, type your password and hit the ‘OK’ button to save it.
4. Create the AutoAdminLogon value if it’s missing
Left-click on the ‘Edit’ item in the main menu area. Hover your mouse pointer over ‘New’ and left-click on the ‘String Value’ item in the pop-out menu.
Type in ‘AutoAdminLogon’ for the value’s name and press enter.
Right-click on the ‘AutoAdminLogon’ value and select the ‘Modify…’ item listed in the contextual menu.
In the Value data text box, Make sure it’s value contains a 1. If it has a 0, erase it, and type in ‘1’. Select on the ‘OK’ button.
5. Close and restart
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to test that the auto login is working.
What to do when none of these work
In some cases, you may run into the situation in which the checkbox for users requiring to enter a password (shown in the first example) is missing.
The registry method may not work either.
To fix this, open the Command Prompt window (right-click start menu icon and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Powershell (Admin) ) and enter the following:
After you press enter, the command will change a registry setting for you, allowing the checkbox for users to always enter a password to return.
Follow the first method, and Windows auto login will work as it should.
If you experience Windows logging you out all the time, please read this article I wrote explaining what to do if Windows keeps logging you out.
Conclusion
You may want to reconsider the Windows 10 auto login setup if you are using a laptop, for example. With increased vulnerabilities, more security measures are required.
So it’s up to you to weigh up the situation to meet your needs. From here, I recommend that you read my other article about using a password to login into Windows 10 instead of a pin, in case you are interested.
However, I’m sure you will enjoy the automatic login feature, I know I do.