Login screens provide security for your computer. Most of the time, people use this to prevent others from quickly logging in to their Windows PCs and perusing their personal data. However, if you know others won’t be accessing your PC and want to boot straight to Windows, this step-by-step guide shows how to skip the Windows login screen.
FYI: forgot your administrator password? You can easily reset your Windows administrator password.
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How to Skip the Login Screen for Windows 10
If you’re using Windows 10, there are two ways to skip the login screen: use the User Accounts settings or the Local Group Policy Editor to avoid entering your credentials each time you log in to Windows.
Skip the Login Screen Using netplwiz
Press Win + R to open a Run window, type netplwiz, then press Enter to bring up the User Accounts window. Select your username. It will most likely be the main account (under the Administrators group). With the account selected, uncheck the box next to Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.
Click OK to apply your changes. If there’s a dialog box asking you to confirm your password, enter it to proceed. Restart your computer to skip the login screen, and log in to Windows 10 without entering your login password.
To bring back the login screen, follow the same steps, but enable the box next to Users must enter a username and password to use this computer. Alternatively, choose to log in with a Microsoft account.
Tip: if you want to bring back a missing login screen, check out how to fix the Windows login screen missing.
Skip Login Screen Using Local Group Policy Editor
To open the Local Group Policy Editor, type gpedit.msc in a Run window, and press Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Logon in the left pane. On the right side, double-click Do not display the Getting Started welcome screen at logon.
Select Enabled in the dialog box. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
How to Skip the Login Screen for Windows 11
For those who’ve upgraded to Windows 11, there are three simple ways to get rid of the Windows welcome screen. The first is the netplwiz method that was mentioned above. The second uses the Registry Editor, and the third uses an automated tool from Microsoft.
Skip the Login Screen Using netplwiz
Unlike the method for Windows 10, you must disable a few settings to prepare your system.
Press Win + I to open Settings, and click Accounts -> Sign-in options in the left panel. Under Additional settings, disable the toggle next to For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in screen for Microsoft accounts on this device (Recommended).
Carry on with the steps described above for Windows 10 to bypass the login password on your Windows 11 device.
Skip the Login Screen Using Registry Editor
Before making changes to the registry, it’s a good practice to back up your registry in case you need to restore it to an earlier version.
Next, type regedit in a Run window, and press Enter. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Right-click Winlogon, and click New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name the new value AutoAdminLogon. Double-click it, and set its value to 1.
Right-click Winlogon again, and select New -> String Value. Name the new value DefaultUserName. Double-click it, and enter your user name under Value data. Click OK.
Right-click Winlogon, and select New -> String Value. Name the new value DefaultPassword. Enter your account password under Value data, and click OK.
The requirement to enter your account credentials has now been disabled.
FYI: want to customize your Windows experience? Learn some useful Windows registry hacks to optimize your experience.
Skip the Login Screen Using Microsoft AutoLogon Tool
AutoLogon can be downloaded from Microsoft’s website. It lets you enable and disable automatic sign-in without using your account credentials on Windows 11.
Download the tool, and extract the contents. Open the Autologon64 file. Click Agree to proceed. Next, enter your password in the Password field, and click Enable. Restart your computer to save the changes.
You can very easily disable auto sign-in by launching Autologon64 again and clicking Disable.
Good to know: do you still prefer Windows 10? You’re not alone. There are many reasons Windows 10 is better than Windows 11.
Skipping the login screen in Windows is just one of the many changes you can make to your Windows installation. Windows 11 brought a slew of new features, but not everyone finds them useful enough to jump ship from Windows 10.
Still, if you’re on Windows 11 but miss the old days, you can make Windows 11 look like Windows 10. If you’re big on gaming, you can also optimize your Windows 11 PC for gaming. Lastly, if you’re having update issues, we have some fixes for the latest Windows 10 and 11 update problems.
Image credit: Pexels. All screenshots by Tanveer Singh.
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Tanveer Singh
After a 7-year corporate stint, Tanveer found his love for writing and tech too much to resist. An MBA in Marketing and the owner of a PC building business, he writes on PC hardware, technology, video games, and Windows. When not scouring the web for ideas, he can be found building PCs, watching anime, or playing Smash Karts on his RTX 3080 (sigh).
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