How to Set Up Windows Auto Login
By Marlo Strydom · Last updated
How to set up Windows auto login comes down to a single checkbox: press Windows + R, type netplwiz, press Enter, select your account, and uncheck "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer." Restart, and your PC boots straight to the desktop.
If that checkbox is not there, you are not doing it wrong. Windows 11 hides it on Microsoft accounts using Windows Hello, and there is a one-switch fix. Two other methods cover the setups where the checkbox still will not cooperate.
Read this first: auto login removes the only barrier between a powered-on PC and everything on it, including your files, email, browser, and saved passwords. Use it on a desktop in a physically secure place, and leave the sign-in screen on for laptops, shared family PCs, and work machines.
Auto Login in Under a Minute
- Method 1, netplwiz: the built-in User Accounts panel. Nothing to download, works for most people, stores your password encrypted. Start here.
- Checkbox missing? Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and switch off "only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device," then sign out and back in.
- Method 2, Autologon: a free official Microsoft tool. Enter your username, domain, and password, click Enable, done. The most reliable option when netplwiz gives you trouble.
- Method 3, the registry: set
AutoAdminLogonto1plusDefaultUserNameandDefaultPasswordunder the Winlogon key. Only for unusual setups, because it saves your password as readable text. - Waking from sleep still asks: auto login only covers a full startup. Set "If you've been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again?" to Never.
- Undoing it: re-check the netplwiz box, click Disable in Autologon, or set
AutoAdminLogonback to0.
Before You Start
Two quick things make the rest of this easier. First, know which kind of account you have: a Microsoft account (you sign in with an email address) or a local account (username only, no email). The steps are the same, but Microsoft accounts on Windows 11 sometimes hide the netplwiz checkbox, which has a simple fix. Second, make sure you actually know your password, since every method asks you to confirm it. If you only ever use a Windows Hello PIN, look up your full account password before you begin.
Method 1: The User Accounts Panel (netplwiz)
This is the built-in way and the right starting point for most people. Nothing to download.
- Open the panel: press
Windows + R, typenetplwiz, and press Enter. - Select your account in the list of users at the top.
- Uncheck the box labelled "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer," then click Apply.
- Confirm your password: a small window asks you to type your password twice so Windows can sign you in for you. Enter it and click OK.
- Restart to test. The PC should now go straight to the desktop.
If the checkbox is missing
On Windows 11, that checkbox is often hidden when you use a Microsoft account with Windows Hello. To bring it back:
- Open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
- Find "For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device" and switch it Off.
- Sign out and back in, then reopen
netplwiz. The checkbox will be there.
Method 2: Microsoft Autologon (Safest and Most Reliable)
Autologon is a small, free, official Microsoft tool from the Sysinternals suite. It is the method I recommend when netplwiz is being stubborn, because it stores your password in an encrypted form rather than in plain text, and it sets everything up correctly in one click.
- Download it from the official Microsoft Sysinternals page (search "Microsoft Autologon"), then unzip and run the program. There is no installer.
- Accept the licence the first time it runs.
- Fill in three boxes: your Username, the Domain (for a home PC this is your computer's name, which Autologon usually fills in for you), and your account Password.
- Click Enable. Autologon confirms it has turned on and encrypts the password into the registry for you.
- Restart to test. To turn it off later, run Autologon again and click Disable.
Method 3: The Registry (Advanced)
This is the manual version of what Autologon does, and it is worth knowing for tricky setups. The catch is that it writes your password into the registry in plain text, so only use it on a secure machine and prefer Autologon if you can.
Careful in here: editing the registry wrongly can cause problems elsewhere in Windows. Change only the values listed below, and consider backing up the key first (in Registry Editor, right-click the Winlogon key and choose Export).
- Open Registry Editor: press
Windows + R, typeregedit, and press Enter. - Go to this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon - Set the username: find or create a String value named
DefaultUserNameand set it to your account name (for a Microsoft account, this is the email address). - Set the password: create a String value named
DefaultPasswordand set it to your password. - Turn it on: find or create a String value named
AutoAdminLogonand set it to1. - Restart to test. To undo it, set
AutoAdminLogonback to0and delete theDefaultPasswordvalue.
It depends what you mean by safe. Auto login only removes the sign-in prompt; it does not touch features like BitLocker drive encryption, which still protects your files if someone removes the drive and plugs it into another computer. What auto login does remove is the barrier against someone sitting down at your running PC. So a desktop in a locked home office with auto login is a reasonable trade-off, because the physical security does the job the password used to. A laptop that travels with you is the opposite situation: lose it, and whoever finds it is one power button away from everything inside. That is why the safe rule of thumb is auto login for fixed, secure machines only, and a real sign-in everywhere else.
Stop the Password Prompt After Sleep
Auto login only covers a full startup. By default Windows still asks for your password when it wakes from sleep, which catches a lot of people out after they set this up. To skip that prompt too:
- Open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
- Find "If you've been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again?"
- Change it to Never.
If you also use a screen saver, open its settings and make sure "On resume, display logon screen" is unticked. With both of those done, the PC stays signed in whether it cold-boots or wakes from sleep.
Which Method Should You Use?
| Method | Best for | Password stored as | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| netplwiz | Most people, first thing to try | Encrypted | Easy |
| Autologon | When netplwiz hides the checkbox | Encrypted | Easy |
| Registry | Advanced users, unusual setups | Plain text | Moderate |
How to Turn Auto Login Back Off
Changed your mind, or moving the PC somewhere less private? Reversing it is quick. If you used netplwiz, reopen it and re-check the "Users must enter a user name and password" box. If you used Autologon, run it again and click Disable. If you edited the registry, set AutoAdminLogon to 0 and delete the DefaultPassword value. Any one of these brings the normal sign-in screen straight back.
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