If your computer isn’t used in an environment where much security is necessary, you can enable Windows 10 auto login.
It is useful to have the option for tighter security for the login of your Windows, but some of us use our computers within a trusted family environment.
In this case, you don’t want to be bothered by an annoying login every time you restart your computer.
That’s where this article comes in. We will show you how to set up Windows to automatically log you in every time you restart or turn on your computer which includes 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 ‘
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 logi n 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 ‘
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.
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
5. Close and restart
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer to test that the auto login is working.
Conclusion
You may want to reconsider the Windows 10 auto login set up if you are using a laptop.
After mentioning that, if your computer gets stolen, there are many ways to bypass this password anyway. There are some measures you can take in order to reduce the stress related to theft.
So it’s up to you to weigh up the situation to meet your needs.
A subtle warning, don’t get locked out of your computer after not using your login details over an extended period of time. Would you be able to remember your username and password?
I’m sure you will enjoy the feature, I know I do.
Marlo is a full-time professional computer programmer, electronics engineer and computer technician. Computers are his passion and he loves to help anyone wanting to know more about them.