Cybersecurity is an ongoing problem that seems to get worse every year. I’m sure you have most likely received spam emails, phone calls and text messages trying to get you to divulge your personal information. And of course there are all the unsafe websites and popups you may have encountered as well.
When you turn on your Windows based computer, you are prompted to enter your password or PIN number or maybe even your fingerprint if you are on the technical side. Even though this may be a bit of an inconvenience, Windows has you do this for your own safety so nobody who shouldn’t be accessing your computer can get into it.
But if you are the type who is not concerned about security or you have your computer in a location where you do not need to worry about unauthorized people accessing it, then you can configure it to sign in automatically. In this article, we will be showing you 3 ways to have Windows automatically log in your user account on startup.
Windows User Accounts Method
The first method we will be discussing involves the older Windows user accounts app that can be accessed by typing netplwiz in the search box on the taskbar. Once you have the User Accounts app open, you will see any active user accounts on your computer. One thing that might be missing is the checkbox that says Users must enter a username and password to use this computer. If this is the case, you will need to change a specific setting to have this option shown because you will need to use it in order to have your account automatically logged in.
To fix this problem, simply go to the Windows settings and then to Accounts > Sign-in options and find the section called Additional settings. Then find the option that says For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device and disable it.
Now you can run netplwiz again and you should have the checkbox that says Users must enter a username and password to use this computer. Next, you will need to select the user account that you want to have Windows automatically log in and then deselect the checkbox.
When you click the OK button, you will need to enter the password for that account so Windows can store it and use it to automatically log into your account. Once this has been completed, your computer will automatically log itself in using this account. If you need to log into a different account, then you will need to log off or switch users to do so.
Classic Auto Login Method
The next method we will be using to have Windows automatically log in your user account on startup will involve using a free third party app called Classic Auto Login which can be downloaded here.
There is nothing to install so once you run the downloaded executable file, it will automatically fill in your username based on the user account that you are logged in with when you start the program. Then all you need to do is enter your password and click the Ok button.
You will then be notified that the automatic login has been enabled and the next time you start your computer, this account will be automatically logged in.
To disable the automatic login, simply run the app again and click on the Disable button and you will notified that the auto login has been disabled.
You can check out a video demonstrating how the software works here.
Microsoft Sysinternals Autologon Method
Microsoft has a free tool called Autologon that you can use to configure Windows to automatically log in your user account on startup. There is nothing to install and all you need to do is download the zip file here and then extract it so you can run the Autologon64.exe executable file.
Autologon will automatically fill in the logged in user account name and the Domain section will be filled in with the name of your computer. Then you just need to put in your Windows password and click the Enable button.
You will then be shown a message that the app was successfully configured, and your saved password has been encrypted.
To disable the automatic login, simply run the app again and click on the Disable button.
You can check out a video demonstrating how the software works here.
Either one of these 3 methods to have Windows automatically log in your user account on startup will work so all you need to do is choose the one that works the best for you.
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