Log On Automatically at Startup

How to Automatically Log On a User Account at Windows 7 Startup​

   Information

This will show you how to select or change a user account to have Windows 7 automatically log on to at startup.

   Note

• If you only have one user account that is not password protected on the computer, then Windows 7 will automatically log on to that account at startup.
• If you have more than one user account and the user account that you want to have Windows 7 log on to automatically at startup does not have a created password, then leave the password fields blank in step 6 below.

   Warning

This can only be done while logged on to an administrator account. It cannot be done from within a standard account.
If you change the password for the user account you have set to have Windows 7 automatically log on to, then you will also need to change it here as well.


Setting your computer to automatically log on to a user account at startup could pose a security risk if you share the computer or there are other people about that could use your computer. If your computer logs on automatically, they will have the same access as whatever user account you have set to be logged on to at start up.

   Tip

Microsoft has made available a hotfix that will resolve a problem where the taskbar customizations are lost and reset to defaults when automatic logon is enabled in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.

• Information: FIX: The Taskbar is reset to the default settings when you use the "Automatically Log On" feature in Windows 7 and in Windows Server 2008 R2
• Download link: Help and Support

EXAMPLE: Log On Screen
NOTE: With Automatic Log On, you will not see this anymore. Windows 7 will boot into the desktop of the selected user account instead.

OPTION ONE

To Turn On or Off Automatic Log On at Startup in Netplwiz

1. Open the Start Menu, type netplwiz in the search box, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)

2. Do step 3, 4, or 5 below for what you would like to do.


3. To Turn On Automatic Log On for a User Account
A) Check the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer box. (see screenshot below)

   Note

If your computer is joined to a domain, then you will not have the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer option.

B) Click on the user account name, that you want to have automatically log on at startup, to highlight it. (see screenshot above)

C) Uncheck the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer box. (see screenshot below)

D) Click on OK, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot above)
4. To Turn Off Automatic Log On
A) Check the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer box. (see screenshot below step 3A)

B) Click on OK. (see screenshot below step 3A)

C) You are finished.
5. To Change the User Account to Automatically Log On to
NOTE: For this step, you would have already had a user account selected to log on to automatically in step 3.
A) Check the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer box, and click on the Apply button. (see screenshot below step 3A)

   Note

If your computer is joined to a domain, then you will not have the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer option.

B) Select the other user account name, that you want to have automatically log on at startup instead, to highlight it.

C) Uncheck the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer box. (see screenshot below step 3C)

D) Click on OK, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below step 3C)
6. Enter the User Account Password
A) In the Password field, enter the selected user account's password. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: If the user account does not have a password, then leave this field empty. See the WARNING at the top of the tutorial.

B) In the Confirm Password field, enter the selected user account's password again to confirm that it is the same as in step 6A above.

C) Click on OK.

OPTION TWO

To Turn On or Off Automatic Log On at Startup in Registry Editor

   Warning

:busted: This option is not as secure as using OPTION ONE above.

It is recommended to use OPTION ONE above if you are able to instead. OPTION ONE will save the password in the Credential Manager where it's encrypted and cannot be viewed by anyone.

This option (OPTION TWO) will save the entered password (steps 4G-4H) in the DefaultPassword string value in Registry Editor where it can be seen by anyone with access.

1. Press the :winkey: + R keys to open the Run dialog, type regedit, and click on OK.

2. In Registry Editor, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon


3. Do step 4 or 5 below for what you would like to do.


4. To Turn On Automatic Log On for a Domain, Local, or Microsoft Account
NOTE: You could also use this step to change what user account you would like Windows 8 to sign-in to automatically at startup.
A) In the right pane on Winlogon, double click/tap on the AutoAdminLogon string value to modify it. (see screenshot below step 2)

B) Type 1, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

C) Double click/tap on the DefaultDomainName string value to modify it. (see screenshot below step 2)

D) Type the computer name (if local) or domain name, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

E) Double click/tap on the DefaultUserName string value to modify it. (see screenshot below step 2)

F) Type the user name (ex: Shawn) of the account you want to automatically be signed in to at startup, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

NOTE: This will be the same name as the user account's C:\Users\(UserName) profile folder.

G) Double click/tap on the DefaultPassword string value to modify it. (see screenshot below step 2)

NOTE: If you do not have a DefaultPassword string value, then right click or press and hold on an empty area in the right pane of the Winlogon key, click/tap on New and String Value, type DefaultPassword, and press Enter.

H) Type the password of the user account you want to automatically be signed in to at startup, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

I) Go to step 6 below.
5. To Turn Off Automatic Log On for All Users
A) In the right pane on Winlogon, double click/tap on the AutoAdminLogon string value to modify it. (see screenshot below step 2)

B) Type 0 (zero), and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below step 4B)

C) Right click or press and hold on the DefaultPassword string value, and click/tap on Delete. (see screenshot below step 2)

NOTE: If you do not have a DefaultPassword string value, then that's ok, and go to step 6 below.

D) Click/tap on Yes to confirm. (see screenshot below)

E) Go to step 6 below.
6. When finished, close Registry Editor.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Temporarily Bypass Automatic Logon at Startup in Windows
• How to Enable or Disable Require Password on Wakeup in Windows 7
• How to Enable or Disable Windows 7 Screen Saver Password Protection
• How to Create a Password for a Windows 7 User Account
• How to Enable or Disable Secure Logon CTRL+ALT+DELETE in Windows 7
• How to Add Advanced User Accounts to the Windows 7 Control Panel
• How to Change the Windows 7 Log On Screen Background
• How to Change the Windows 7 Log On Screen Text Shadow
• How to Make Windows 7 Require a User Name and Password at Log On
• How to Add or Remove Ease of Access Center from Windows 7 Log On Screen
• How to Set Account Lockout Threshold for Invalid Logon Attempts
• How to Set Account Lockout Duration for Locked Out User Accounts
• How to Set the Reset Account Lockout Counter After Setting
• How to Create a Advanced User Accounts Shortcut in Windows 7
• How to Display Information About Previous Logons During User Logon in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Turn On or Off Automatic Log On for a Remote Desktop Connection
• Allow or Prevent Remote Desktop Connection Clients to Automatically Log On to Host Computer
• How to Remove the Password for Your or Another User Account in Windows 7​
• How to Fix Windows 7 Logon Screen Showing Only "Other User" and Last Logged On User Icon​
• How to Set a Startup Password to Lock or Unlock Windows​

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Jamie, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[brianzion]

excellent tip works just fine

 

[Brink]

Thank you Brian.

 

[drinkjoosecom]

Why am i being asked for a password i never created? This computer will not boot up without a password. please help

 

[Brink]

Hello Drinkjoosecom, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Go ahead and change or create a password for the user account that you want Windows 7 to startup automatically logged on to. Afterwards, do this tutorial again using the new password for the user account.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[drinkjoosecom]

Hey Shawn thanks for the welcome. I am stuck on the welcome screen i can not get passed it without a password. I was online all day yesterday then this morning I turned on my pc and this password thing came up

 

[Brink]

You can use this tutorial below to reset your password, then hopefully be able to log in to your account afterwards.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/85657-password-reset.html

 

[drinkjoosecom]

i tried everything and im still stuck on the screen you have posted on the 1st page of this trend

 

[Brink]

Did you use your Windows 7 installation disk to try the tutorial in the link I posted above to reset your password?

If you have or not able to, then try creating a system repair disc to a USB thumb drive using OPTION TWO in the tutorial below instead. You can then boot from the USB thumb drive and try the tutorial above again to reset the password.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2083-system-repair-disc-create.html

 

[drinkjoosecom]

no i did not. i restarted the computer pressed f2 which brought me to the screen shots you posted in you reply to me. i tried to change the reboot order but couldnt

 

[Brink]

I have added more to the post above that you might not have seen.

In addition, you could also do METHOD THREE in the tutorial below to create a reset disk on a USB thumb drive or DVD.

Reset User Account Password - Vista Forums

 

[IMAyNeed]

Smart Logon

I am the only user. I am the administrator. I have have a password on my account.
I have also a Smart Logon feature which enables me to log on my face recognition.
When I did the tutorial, it gave me the options of Smart Logon, Me, and Other User option.
When I clicked on other user, it asked for the user name and password.
Of course I believe, this is because of the Smart Log on Face Recognition feature.

 

[Brink]

Hello I MAyNeed,

Yes, you are correct. It does seem that the Smart Logon feature is the cause of this. Sorry.

 

[srinivasrangu]

Hello, Am trying to enable autoadminlogon registry in Windows7 64-bit operating system, I have given username and password also, but the mahcine is not logging in automatically after the restart.

 

[Brink]

Hello Srinivasrangu, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You need to use the method in the tutorial on the first page of this thread to auto log on to a local user account instead.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[nweinfeld]

Tried to enable auto-logon and am now locked out...

I am running 64-bit Windows 7 and thought I had followed your instructions. When I set up my computer I enabled requiring a password at log-on but found this to be a nuisance. My intent was to disable the password requirement and I highlighted first the administrator account and unchecked the appropriate box and then went back and did the same with the other account. However, upon shutting down and re-booting, I get the error message "User name or password incorrect" for the account "HomeGroupUser$." When I manually type in my previous password, the same message appears, so there is presumably some other password of which I am unaware? I am thus effectively locked out of my computer. Help? By the way, this note is being sent via my old XP computer.

 

[Brink]

Hello Nweinfeld, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You would only want to select the account that you want to have Windows automatically log on to instead. Since you did this with the other account, that it the one that Windows is trying to log on to automatically. Since it sounds like you did this with the HomeGroupUser$ account, Windows is not going to be able to log on to it at startup since it's not a real user account.

Try doing a system restore at boot using a restore point dated before you made these changes to undo them. Afterwards, you should be able to boot up like you did before and try the tutorial again with only your user account instead.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[msweiland]

Thanks!

Thanks for this post -- I never had this issue on a PC I bought last year and did a Vista to 7 upgrade on. Just got a netbook with Windows 7, though, and it's been driving me crazy trying to get it to automatically login without me having to click on the (only!) user account first.

Even searching the help program in the computer didn't get me any results, so I appreciate the help here!

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Msweiland, and welcome to Seven Forums.

 

[msweiland]

I seem to have spoken too soon! I restarted after changing the settings and it logged in automatically, but then later in the day I shut down so it could install updates, and now it's not logging me in anymore. The settings, however, are the same as I left them...box unchecked, there's no password on the account so that was left blank...any ideas?