Are you tired of typing the password over and over again every time you log in to your PC or Laptop?
Have you heard of the Automatic Sign-in Feature? NO?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
In this blog, I’ll lay out 3 ways in which you can automate your sign-in process in your Windows 10 computer or laptop.
Before we get into this, let me right away address the security doubt that might pop up in your head:
Is It Safe to Use the Automatic Sign-In Feature?
Well, it depends on the number of people using that particular User Account.
If you are the only person who usually uses the device then there’s no security issue that might arise. But if there are multiple people using the same device, your data might not remain as safe as it would be using the usual Login-Password feature.
Important points to be noted before using this feature:
When the automatic login feature is turned on, anyone who can physically access the device, can logon into the device and obtain access to all the data of the device, including the networks connected to it. Further, the password is stored in the registry in plain text.
So take necessary measures to lock the device and network access that the room account might have access to.
Now that you know the don’ts of the feature and are curious about trying this feature, let’s get onto how to get it started.
This automated sign-in feature is in-built in your Windows 10 operating system. To use it, all you need to do is turn it on.
There are 3 options or ways in which you can enable or disable this feature. Let’s learn about them, shall we?
1. Option I: Turn On or Off Automatically Sign-in User Account Using NetPLWiz
Using NetPLWiz utility is the easiest option to use this feature. You just have to alter one checkbox to enable/disable automatic login.
Keep your Password and Username handy to get started.
You can follow the below-mentioned steps to Turn On or Off the Automatic Sign-In Feature Using NetPLWiz.
Step 1:
- Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box, type NetPLWiz in the box, and press Enter to open the advanced User Accounts Tab.
(OR)
Right click on Start and select Run, type NetPLWiz in the box, and click on OK to open advanced User Accounts Tab.
- If a User Account Control box prompts, click on Yes.
Step 2:
- The User Accounts dialog box will open, in which you have to select the Users tab.
- Now select your user account and then untick the checkbox at the top that says, Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer (As shown in the image below).
- Click the Apply/OK button to see the Automatically sign in the box.
This will enable you to sign in to your account automatically.
Step 3:
- Automatically sign in the dialog box will show up asking you to type and confirm your password.
- Type your password and then re-enter the password to confirm your password.
- Click OK.
Step 4:
Click OK again on the User Accounts dialog box.
Step 5:
Restart your PC or Laptop
You should be able to login into your Windows 10 automatically, without asking you to enter the password manually.
Note: NetPLWiz uses the Windows Credential Manager to cache credentials.
To disable the automatic login feature, just untick the “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer” check box in the Users>User Accounts dialog box and you’ll be back to your manual login.
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2. Option II: Turn On or Off Automatically Sign-in User Account Using Windows Registry
This method involves tweaking a couple of fields in the Registry Editor. Windows Registry allows you to enable or disable other important features too.
Therefore, do not touch entries that you are not sure of and backup your Windows Registry before making any changes to it.
You can follow the below-mentioned steps to Turn On or Off the Automatic Sign-In Feature Using Windows Registry.
Step 1:
- Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box, type regedit in the box, and press Enter to open the advanced User Accounts Tab.
(OR)
Right click on Start and select Run, type regedit in the box, and click on OK to open advanced User Accounts Tab.
- If a User Account Control box prompts, click on Yes.
Step 2:
The Registry Editor dialog box will open up. Navigate your cursor to the following path on the left pane:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsNTCurrentVersionWinlogon
Step 3:
Now on the right pane,
- Double click or Tap on DefaultUserName to alter the string value.
If you do not have an entry named “DefaultUserName”, then right click or press and hold on anywhere blank on the right pane. Click or tap on New and select String Value, type DefaultUserName, and press Enter key.
- Enter the user name you would want to see at the start to automatically be signed in to, in the Value Data field.
- Click OK.
Step 4:
- Double click or Tap on DefaultPassword to alter the string value.
If you do not have an entry named “DefaultPassword”, then right click or press and hold on anywhere blank on the right pane. Click or tap on New and select String Value, type DefaultPassword, and press Enter key.
- Type your password in the Value Data field.
- Then, click OK.
Step 5:
- Double click or Tap on AutoAdminLogon to alter the string value.
If you do not have an entry named “AutoAdminLogon”, then right click or press and hold on anywhere blank on the right pane. Click or tap on New and select String Value, type AutoAdminLogon, and press Enter key.
- Enter 1 in the Value Data field.
- Click OK.
Step 6:
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer or laptop.
If you want to disable/ turn off the automatic login, change the value of AutoAdminLogon from 1 to 0 in the Value Data field.
3. Option III: Turn On or Off Automatically Sign-in User Account Using Autologon App
There’s an app named Autologon that helps you login automatically to a user account on your Windows 10 computer or laptop. If you are one of those people who turn on and off the automatic sign-in feature frequently, then you might be interested in using this app instead of the above mentioned methods.
Autologon is a free app that you can download from the official Microsoft website that enables you to turn on and off the automatic sign-in feature with just one click.
According to Microsoft Documentation, “Autologon enables you to easily configure Windows’ built-in autologon mechanism. Instead of waiting for a user to enter their name and password, Windows uses the credentials you enter with Autologon, which are encrypted in the Registry, to log on the specified user automatically.
Autologon is easy enough to use.
Just run autologon.exe, fill in the dialog, and hit Enable.
To turn off auto-logon, hit Disable. Also, if the shift key is held down before the system performs an autologon, the autologon will be disabled for that logon.”
Use any of the above methods to use the Automatically Sign In feature to login without having to enter username and password repeatedly, and save time. Just make sure you are the only one using the device and you’re good to go.
With Windows 10, there are several other tasks that you can automate besides the Login to save your time.
Let us know your views in the comment section below.
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Contributor: Ayushi Vanzara
Ayushi Vanzara is currently pursuing Chartered Accountancy. No secrets there that she loves to read! She believes words have the power of healing and is a medium that can convey like no other. She hopes to connect with people through her empathy, thoughtfulness, and by adding value to their lives.
