How to Configure Auto-Login for Windows 10 Domain or Workgroup PC
Security or convenience? It seems like we can’t have both, so we must decide what’s most important to us. If convenience wins out andWindows is reasonably secured, then being able to auto-login to Windows can be helpful. It’s also more secure than using Windows without a password. We can configure auto-login for Windows 10computers joined to a domainor stand-alone units.
Enable Auto-Login for Windows 10 Using SysInternals Autologon
Using SysInternals Autologon is the simplest, easiest way to enable auto-login in Windows 10. SysInternals Autologon is a small application provided by Microsoft. There’s a suite of SysInternals tools to help with many things, includingtroubleshooting Windows. Head to theAutologon download page, download the file, and unzip the folder.
To disable auto-login later, just open Autologon and selectDisable.
Enable Auto-Login for Windows 10 Workgroup PC Through Settings
Maybe we don’t want to use an app to enable auto-login for some reason. That’s okay, this can be done manually, too.
Once we’re back in the User Accounts window, select theAdvancedtab. FindRequire users to press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to loginand make sure it’s unchecked. SelectOKand on the next login, Windows won’t ask for a password.
What if the checkbox isn’t there? That’s common in Windows 10. There are a few ways to get the checkbox back, but only one way guaranteed to work. It requires editing Windows Registry. Always make a backup of the registry before making any changes.
A User Account Control (UAC) window opens asking,Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?SelectYes.
Close the Registry Editor and restart the computer.
If the registry key doesn’t exist, it can be created. Open theCMDprompt orPowerShellasAdministrator.
Enter the commandreg ADD “HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionPasswordLessDevice” /v DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /fand pressEnter.
When the responseThe operation completed successfullyappears, restart the computer.
Enable Auto-Login for Windows 10 PC in a Domain
This isn’t recommended for everyday use. Enabling auto-login without the proper security precautions can compromise the domain. It might be useful for a display system though, like in fast-food restaurants or airports.
In case of a power outage, the devices would automatically log back in when restarted. The ideal situation is to have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on the devices.
The changes we’ll make can be done as a Group Policy Object (GPO) that can be applied as needed within the domain.
Navigate toHKLM>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows NT>CurrentVersion>Winlogonthen chooseSelectto set that as the path for the key.
Repeat steps 5 to 7 using the following values:
To set the domain name to be used by autologon:
Key Path: HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon
Value type: REG_SZ
Value Name: DefaultDomainName
Value data: YourDomainName – in this example, it’s CORP
To set the default username used by autologon:
Key Path: HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon
Value type: REG_SZ
Value Name: DefaultUserName
Value data: YourUsername – in this example, it’s AutoLogonSvc
To set the default password used by autologon:
Key Path: HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon
Value type: REG_SZ
Value Name: DefaultPassword
Value data: The password of the user set in the previous key
To prevent the username from being shown on reboot:
Key Path: HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogon
Value type: REG_SZ
Value Name: DontDisplayLastUserName
Value data: 1
The next time the devices are restarted, they’ll pick up the GPO and apply it within their registry.
Notice that the password was stored in plain text. Be tremendously cautious about using autologon in a domain. If anyone can open the Registry Editor, they can read the password and username. They will now have access to anything accessible with those credentials. Two precautions can be taken; prevent anyone from accessing the registry editor and use a service account with limited permissions for the autologon.
Will You Use Auto-Login?
Now that you know how to configure auto-login, what are you going to use it on? Do you already use auto-login? If so, in what scenario and have you come across anything we should be aware of? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
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