Auto Sign-In to Windows 11 and 10: netplwiz, the Missing Checkbox, Autologon and Fixes

To make Windows 11 sign in automatically, press Windows + R, type netplwiz, clear Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer, select Apply, and enter the account's user name and password twice. Restart, and Windows goes straight to the desktop. If that checkbox is missing, which is common on Windows 11, open Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options and turn off For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device, then reopen netplwiz. Microsoft's free Autologon tool from Sysinternals does the same with the password stored encrypted, and is a better choice than editing the registry, where the old method stores the password in plain text. Auto sign-in only applies at startup; to stop the password prompt after sleep, set If you've been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again? to Never. Remember the trade-off: anyone who can turn on the PC gets your desktop and files.

Ethan's father has an old desktop in his workshop that runs only a music player and a parts catalog, and he found the sign-in screen pointless there: the PC never leaves the room and nobody else uses it. Jake set it to sign in automatically, but the netplwiz checkbox was missing, because Windows 11 had switched the account to Windows Hello only. Turning that option off brought the checkbox back, and two minutes later the workshop PC started straight to the desktop. On Ethan's own laptop, which he carries everywhere, Jake did the opposite and talked him out of auto sign-in, setting up a fingerprint instead. This page explains every way to make Windows sign in automatically, why the checkbox goes missing, how to fix auto sign-in that stops working, and when you should not use it at all.

First, the honest trade-off

Automatic sign-in removes a small annoyance, typing a password or PIN at startup, at the cost of a real protection. With it on, anyone who can press the power button gets your desktop, files, email, browser with saved passwords, and any accounts that stay signed in. For a PC that never leaves a locked room and holds nothing sensitive, that may be fine. For a laptop, a family PC with personal files, or any PC in a shared space, it is a poor trade.

There is a second, less obvious cost: auto sign-in undermines BitLocker and device encryption. Encryption protects your files if the PC is stolen, but only because the thief cannot get past the sign-in screen. If the PC signs in automatically, a thief simply turns it on and the files are there, decrypted, on the desktop. For a laptop with encryption, auto sign-in effectively switches that protection off.

For most people, a faster sign-in is a better answer than no sign-in. A Windows Hello PIN takes a second, a fingerprint or face less than that, and both keep the protection. That was the answer for Ethan's laptop. Auto sign-in is for the cases where nobody needs to sign in at all: a workshop music PC, a media center under the TV, a single-purpose display, or a test machine.

A useful test before turning it on: imagine the PC disappeared tonight. If the thought of a stranger opening it to your email, photos and saved passwords is uncomfortable, auto sign-in is the wrong choice for that PC, and the faster sign-in methods below are the right one. If the answer is that they would find a music player and a parts catalog, as on Ethan's father's workshop PC, auto sign-in costs you nothing that matters, and saves a little effort every single day.

This table summarizes when auto sign-in makes sense and when a faster sign-in method is the better choice.

Turn on auto sign-in with netplwiz

1. Sign in to the account that should sign in automatically, using an administrator account if you need to approve the change.
2. Press Windows + R, type netplwiz, and press Enter. The User Accounts window opens.
3. Select the account in the list, the one that should start automatically.
4. Clear the checkbox Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.
5. Select Apply. In the box that appears, enter the user name and the account's password twice, then select OK.
6. Restart to test. Windows should go straight to the desktop, usually within a few seconds of the sign-in screen appearing.

For a Microsoft account, the user name is the account's full email address, and the password is the Microsoft account password, not the PIN. For a local account, use the account name as shown in the list. Getting the user name wrong is the most common reason the setup appears to work and then does not: Windows accepts whatever you type, and only fails at the next startup. If the account has no password at all, leave the password boxes empty.

A tip that saves frustration: before running netplwiz, sign out and sign back in to the account with its password, not its PIN, to confirm you know the password exactly. Many people who have used a PIN for years discover they no longer remember the underlying password, and an auto sign-in set up with a guessed password simply fails at the next restart. If you cannot remember it, change it first, using the steps in our guide to changing your Windows password, then set up auto sign-in with the new one.

To turn auto sign-in off again, open netplwiz and check the box again, then select Apply. Windows forgets the stored password and shows the sign-in screen at the next startup.

A worked example: a dedicated music PC

Here is the full setup Jake used for Ethan's father's workshop PC, which you can follow for any PC that should simply start up and be ready. He began by creating a new local standard account called Workshop, without a Microsoft account, so the auto sign-in would not depend on an online password and the account would have no administrator rights. Under Settings, Accounts, Other users, Add account, he chose to add a user without a Microsoft account and gave it a simple password.

Signed in as Workshop, he installed nothing new; the music player and the parts catalog were already available to all users. He placed shortcuts to both in the Workshop account's Startup folder, opened with shell:startup, so they launch at sign-in. Then, signed in as the administrator, he turned off the Windows Hello only option, ran netplwiz, selected Workshop, cleared the checkbox, and entered the Workshop password twice.

Finally, he turned off the require-sign-in-after-sleep option and the screen saver lock for the Workshop account, and set the power plan so the PC sleeps after an hour of inactivity. The result: press the power button, and a minute later the music player is running, with no keyboard needed. The father's own administrator account remains password protected for maintenance, available by holding Shift at startup or through Switch user.

The methods compared

Three ways set up the same feature, with different trade-offs. This comparison helps you pick.

netplwiz and Autologon both keep the password out of plain sight, which is why either is preferred to the registry method. Autologon has the advantage of working regardless of the Windows Hello setting and of being easy to turn off cleanly later.

The netplwiz checkbox is missing in Windows 11

On many Windows 11 PCs, the checkbox simply is not there. The reason is a setting that Windows turns on for accounts that use Windows Hello: For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device. With it on, Windows hides the password sign-in options, including the auto sign-in checkbox, to steer you toward passwordless sign-in.

1. Open Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options.
2. Under Additional settings, turn off For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device.
3. Close Settings, open netplwiz again, and the checkbox should appear.

If the option is not in Settings, or turning it off does not bring the checkbox back, the same setting is a registry value. Open Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device, and set DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion to 0. Close and reopen netplwiz. This was exactly the fix for Ethan's father's workshop PC, which used a Microsoft account with a PIN.

On work or school PCs, the checkbox may be missing because a policy requires sign-in. That is deliberate, and auto sign-in should not be used on such PCs anyway.

The safer way: Microsoft's Autologon tool

Microsoft's Sysinternals team publishes a free tool called Autologon that sets up automatic sign-in in one step, and stores the password encrypted rather than in plain text. It is the method Jake prefers for PCs that genuinely need auto sign-in.

1. Download Autologon from Microsoft's Sysinternals website, the official source.
2. Run Autologon and approve the administrator prompt.
3. Enter the user name, the domain (the PC name for a local account, or leave the default), and the password.
4. Select Enable. A message confirms that auto sign-in is configured.
5. Restart to test. To turn it off, run Autologon again and select Disable.

Autologon writes the same Windows settings that netplwiz uses, but keeps the password as an encrypted system secret instead of a readable registry value. It works when the netplwiz checkbox is missing, and it is popular with IT staff setting up kiosks, digital signs and lab machines. Because it changes system settings, download it only from Microsoft's own site, not from mirrors.

Autologon can also be run from the command line, with the user name, domain and password as arguments, which is how IT teams configure many kiosks or lab PCs at once with a script. On a single home PC, the window is simpler. Either way, if you later change that account's password, run Autologon again with the new password, since the stored one does not update itself.

The registry method, and why it is the last choice

Older guides set up auto sign-in by editing the registry directly. It still works, but it stores the password in plain text where any administrator, and any program running as administrator, can read it. Use it only on a PC where that does not matter, or when the other methods are unavailable.

The values are under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon. Set AutoAdminLogon to 1, a string value; set DefaultUserName to the user name; set DefaultPassword to the password, creating it as a string value if it does not exist; and for a local account, set DefaultDomainName to the PC's name. Restart to test. To turn it off, set AutoAdminLogon to 0 and delete DefaultPassword.

The Winlogon key also supports AutoLogonCount, a number of automatic sign-ins after which Windows turns auto sign-in off by itself, useful for setup scripts that need a few unattended restarts. Holding the Shift key while Windows starts skips auto sign-in for that startup and shows the sign-in screen, which is handy when you need to sign in as a different user.

How to check whether auto sign-in is on

If you inherited a PC, or are not sure what was set up, there are two quick checks. Open netplwiz: if the checkbox is visible and cleared, auto sign-in is on through netplwiz. Then look at the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon: AutoAdminLogon set to 1 means auto sign-in is on, and DefaultUserName shows which account. If a DefaultPassword value is present, the password is stored in plain text there, which you should replace with netplwiz or Autologon, or remove if auto sign-in is no longer wanted.

Checking this is worth doing on any second-hand PC. A previous owner's auto sign-in setup can leave an old password readable in the registry, and an unexpected auto sign-in on a PC you thought was protected is a security gap. Turning it off with netplwiz and deleting any DefaultPassword value closes it.

Auto sign-in after sleep is a different setting

Auto sign-in only covers starting up. When the PC wakes from sleep, Windows asks for your sign-in again by default, regardless of auto sign-in. To change that, open Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, and under Additional settings, set If you've been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again? to Never.

On some PCs that option is missing or grayed out, usually because of the same Windows Hello only setting or a power setting that requires a password on wake. Our guide to stopping Windows asking for a password after sleep covers every case, including laptops with Modern Standby. The lock screen after inactivity, controlled by the screen saver settings and Dynamic lock, is separate again; a PC that signs in automatically at startup may still lock itself after a period of inactivity unless those are changed too.

Finish updates automatically after a restart

A related setting that many people want instead of full auto sign-in is Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up after an update, found in Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, under Additional settings. With it on, when Windows restarts to install an update, it signs you in briefly in the background to finish setting up apps and settings, then locks the PC. You still sign in normally when you sit down, but the PC is ready faster after updates, without the long "finishing setup" wait that happens otherwise.

This is a good compromise for laptops and family PCs: no stored password for everyday startup, no open desktop for anyone who turns the PC on, but smoother updates. On PCs where this option is grayed out, a policy or the Windows Hello only setting may be involved. Ethan has it on, with his fingerprint for everyday sign-in, and his laptop no longer spends the first ten minutes after an update restart preparing things.

The fast alternative: Windows Hello

For most people who find signing in tedious, Windows Hello removes the tedium without removing the protection. A fingerprint reader signs you in with a touch, often on the power button itself on modern laptops, and a Windows Hello camera recognizes your face as you sit down, signing you in before you have reached for the keyboard. A PIN, on PCs without either, takes a second to type and works only on that device.

Set them up under Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options: choose Facial recognition, Fingerprint recognition or PIN and follow the prompts. Our guide to Windows Hello explains each. On Ethan's laptop, a fingerprint on the power button means the laptop starts and signs in with one press, which is nearly as fast as auto sign-in and keeps his files locked if the laptop is ever lost. Laptops without a reader can use an inexpensive USB fingerprint reader that supports Windows Hello.

Windows Hello also works for unlocking after sleep and the lock screen, so the same fingerprint or face handles every sign-in during the day. If one method fails, such as a fingerprint with wet hands, the PIN is always available as a fallback. Combined with Use my sign-in info to finish setting up after an update, Windows Hello gives most of the convenience people want from auto sign-in, while a lost laptop still asks a stranger for a fingerprint they do not have.

Automatic locking: the other half of the picture

Auto sign-in is about startup, but Windows can also lock the PC when you walk away, which matters on any PC with auto sign-in that also holds anything private. Dynamic lock, under Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, locks the PC automatically shortly after your paired phone moves out of Bluetooth range. A screen saver with On resume, display logon screen checked locks it after a period of inactivity. And Windows + L locks it instantly.

On a PC that signs in automatically at startup, these locks still ask for the account's sign-in when you come back, which can surprise people who set up auto sign-in expecting never to see the sign-in screen again. If that is what you want on a workshop or media PC, turn off the screen saver lock, Dynamic lock and the require-sign-in-after-sleep option. If it is a PC with anything sensitive, keep them on, and the combination of quick startup and automatic locking is a reasonable middle ground.

More than one account on an auto sign-in PC

Auto sign-in signs in one specific account. Other accounts on the PC are still available: after auto sign-in, use Switch user from the Start menu, or Ctrl + Alt + Delete, Switch user, to reach the sign-in screen and choose another account. Holding Shift while the PC starts skips auto sign-in for that startup only, which is the way to reach an administrator account on a PC that normally signs in to a standard one.

Changing which account signs in automatically is simply a matter of running the setup again for the other account: in netplwiz, select the new account, clear the checkbox, and enter its details; in Autologon, enter the new account and select Enable. Only one account can sign in automatically at a time. On family PCs, avoid auto sign-in to an account that others share, since everyone then uses the same files and browser profile, which defeats the point of separate accounts.

Children's PCs and auto sign-in

Parents sometimes set a child's PC to sign in automatically so the child does not need to remember a password. For young children, a short PIN is usually a better choice: it is easy to learn, works only on that PC, and keeps the child's account separate from everyone else's. Auto sign-in to a child account also means anyone who turns the PC on, including siblings, lands in that account, with its screen time limits and content filters applied to whoever is using it.

If you use Microsoft Family Safety, screen time limits and content filters apply to the child's account whether or not it signs in automatically, so auto sign-in does not bypass parental controls. What it does change is who is signed in. For a single child with their own PC, auto sign-in can be fine; for shared family PCs, separate accounts with PINs keep each person's settings, files and limits where they belong.

Auto sign-in not working: fixes

If Windows still shows the sign-in screen after setting up auto sign-in, work through these causes. The password or user name is wrong: Windows does not check them when you save them in netplwiz, so a typo only shows up at startup. Run the setup again carefully, using the full email address for a Microsoft account. The password has changed: if you changed your account password, auto sign-in still holds the old one; set it up again with the new one.

A sign-in message, also called a legal notice or logon banner, stops auto sign-in until someone selects OK, by design; our guide to sign-in messages shows how to remove one. Ctrl + Alt + Delete being required at sign-in can interfere on some setups; our guide to Ctrl+Alt+Del sign-in shows the setting. A BitLocker PIN at startup, set up by some organizations, asks for a PIN before Windows starts, and auto sign-in cannot skip it.

Finally, more than one account can confuse things: Windows signs in the account set for auto sign-in, but if another account was last used, check that the right one is selected. And on work or school PCs, policies may block auto sign-in entirely. If none of these explains it, clear any old registry values in the Winlogon key and use Autologon, which sets everything consistently.

Two more causes appear less often. After a Windows feature update, some PCs show the sign-in screen once, for example to finish setting up a new feature or to confirm a Microsoft account; sign in once and auto sign-in usually resumes at the next startup. And on PCs that use a fingerprint or face for everyday sign-in, Windows may show the Windows Hello prompt instead of signing in automatically if the Windows Hello only option was turned back on, which some updates do; turn it off again in Sign-in options.

If you have tried everything and the sign-in screen still appears, start clean: turn auto sign-in off with netplwiz, delete AutoAdminLogon, DefaultUserName, DefaultPassword and AutoLogonCount from the Winlogon key if present, restart, and then set it up once with Autologon. Mixing methods over time, a netplwiz setup on top of an old registry setup, is a common reason for inconsistent results.

Kiosks, signs and media PCs

For a PC that should run one app all the time, such as a display in a shop, a sign-in station or a digital photo frame, Windows offers a better setup than auto sign-in: kiosk mode, also called assigned access. On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education, open Settings, Accounts, Other users, Set up a kiosk, create a kiosk account and choose the app. Windows signs in to that account automatically, opens the app full screen, and restarts it if it closes, with no access to the desktop or other apps.

For a media PC under a TV or a music PC like Ethan's father's, a standard account with auto sign-in is simpler and fine, ideally a standard account rather than an administrator, so that anyone using it cannot change system settings. Set the media app to start automatically with Windows, so the PC goes straight from power-on to the music player.

Kiosk mode has a few limits worth knowing before you choose it. It runs one app, or a small set on newer versions, for one dedicated account, and it is designed to be locked down, so the person at the screen cannot reach the desktop, settings or other apps. That is ideal for a public screen, and too restrictive for a family media PC where people want to pick between several apps. For those, auto sign-in to a standard account remains the simpler choice.

Start apps automatically after auto sign-in

Auto sign-in is often paired with starting a particular app, so the PC goes from power button to ready without any clicks. The simplest way is the Startup folder: press Windows + R, type shell:startup, and copy a shortcut to the app into the folder that opens. Windows starts it every time that account signs in. Many apps also have their own option to start with Windows, which appears in Settings, Apps, Startup, where you can turn it on or off.

For apps that must run even before anyone signs in, such as a media server or a backup tool, a scheduled task set to run at startup, whether the user is signed in or not, is better than auto sign-in. It runs the program in the background under an account you choose, with no desktop session needed. That approach also avoids storing a password for sign-in at all, which is better for home servers and always-on PCs.

Home servers and unattended PCs

People running a home server, a media server or a PC that must recover after power cuts often reach for auto sign-in. Before you do, check whether the software can run as a Windows service or a scheduled task, which starts at boot without anyone signed in. Most server software, including media servers, backup tools and remote access tools, can. That is more reliable than auto sign-in, since it does not depend on a desktop session, and more secure, since the PC sits at the sign-in screen rather than an open desktop.

Remote Desktop needs credentials when you connect, whether or not auto sign-in is on, so auto sign-in does not make remote access easier. If the PC must restart unattended after updates, set active hours and a restart schedule in Windows Update so it restarts when convenient. Combined with a service or scheduled task, the PC recovers on its own after any restart, with no stored password needed.

Auto sign-in with a Microsoft account

Auto sign-in works with Microsoft accounts, but there are a few extra points. Use the account's email address as the user name, and its account password, not the PIN. If the account is passwordless, meaning you sign in to Microsoft with the Authenticator app or a passkey and have no password, auto sign-in through netplwiz is not possible; you would need to add a password to the account or use a local account for the auto sign-in PC.

When you change your Microsoft account password online, auto sign-in on every PC that uses it stops working until you set it up again with the new password. For a dedicated PC that should simply start up, a local account avoids that dependency entirely and is often the better choice. Our guide to creating a user account shows how to add a local account for this purpose.

Automatic sign-in is easy to set up once you know about the hidden Windows Hello only setting, and easy to make safer with Microsoft's Autologon tool. The harder question is whether to use it, and the answer depends on where the PC lives. Ethan's father's workshop PC now starts straight to the music player; Ethan's laptop still asks for a fingerprint, which takes less than a second and keeps his files his.

Revision note. Written October 3, 2026, expanding our 2015 guide to making Windows sign in automatically into a complete guide for Windows 11 and 10. It covers the trade-off, netplwiz, the missing checkbox, Microsoft's Autologon tool, the registry method, sleep, fixes when auto sign-in stops working, kiosks and Microsoft accounts. May your PCs start exactly as fast as is safe.