AutoLogin?

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[CWBillow]

None of the “tricks” I am used to working do now.  There’s just me and the internal Admin, so how can I set it ti automatically start logged in?

The util I tried from SysInternals doesn’t seem to be working.

I am set up to log in using my PIN.

Is there a way to “fix” this?

Chuck Billow

• This topic was modified 1 month, 4 weeks ago by CWBillow.

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The procedure for Windows 11 is slightly different from Windows 10 as you first have to turn off the Microsoft account login.

Go to Settings > Accounts
Select Sign-in options
Under Additional settings make sure Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts is turned off. (must be logged into the Microsoft account for this option to be available). This will prompt you for your password for that account.
Close the Settings.

Open a Run box (WinKey + R), enter netplwiz and press the Enter key.
This opens the Control Panel Users Account window.
Select the Users tab.
Uncheck the box next to Users must enter a username and password to use this computer
Click Apply which will open a box for you to enter the password for your user account (need to enter the password twice)

Next time you boot up the PC there will be no login screen.

This can also be done thru the Registry by adding some Registry keys, but I think the Settings way would be easier for you.

HTH, Dana:))

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Well, I did something wrong ’cause I still go the login process.  I’ll take another look.

Chuck Billow

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CWBillow wrote:

so how can I set it ti automatically start logged in?

To bypass the requirement to log in (and to still keep Windows Hello available) is as simple as changing the password to blank. Setting> Accounts> Password> Change. After doing this, when you turn on your computer it will go straight to the desktop.

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If I have three users on the (regular) login screen (Myself, Administrator, and Visitor) how will the selection between the three be made Nat startup?

Chuck Billow

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Windows login can only be set one of two ways.

1- You use the default method and Windows displays the Select a user screen and the user must enter a login combo.

2- You use the auto login method and Windows “auto logs in” one specific user and they don’t need to enter a login combo.

It’s not possible to have a combination where Windows displays the Select a user screen and the user gets logged in without entering a login combo!

If your system has multiple users and uses the auto login method, the only way to change users is to select the Log Off option which will display the Select a user screen allowing you to select an alternate user.

Note: when you use the Log Off option, the user you select will have to enter their login combo; even even if you’ve set them to auto login. (BTDT!)

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n0ads wrote:

the only way to change users is to select the Log Off option

Plus, there is always “Switch User”.

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CWBillow wrote:

Well, I did something wrong ’cause I still go the login process.  I’ll take another look.

If it is done correctly it will add new values to the Registry.
Open the Registry Editor
Copy the below key path and paste into the address bar to go to this key

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

With Winlogon highlighted in the left pane look in the right pane.
You should find:

AutoAdminLogon with Data of 1

and

DefaultUserName with Data of your user name.

and

DefaultPassword with Data of your user account password.

The Auto logon is for the User account and not for the Microsoft Account.

HTH, Dana:))

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Guys, I think I “easy-does-it” myself into a corner.

I set up my account so that at the login screen I can just enter my PIN.  Problem is it seems that autologins don’t like PINs, because it rejects it as valid when I’m trying to set up autologin.

Is there a way short of rebuilding that account to fix this?

Chuck Billow

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CWBillow wrote:

Problem is it seems that autologins don’t like PINs

Correct!

Autologin only accepts a username/password combo so it’s not possible to use it with a PIN.

To restore things back to normal, simply disable the autologin option as follows:

Press WinKey+R, enter netplwiz, and press Enter
Check the Users must enter a username and password to use this computer box on the Users tab
Click OK

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The box to check ain’t there.

Chuck Billow

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You have to highlight the specific user that was setup to autologin to see the box.

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n0ads wrote:

You have to highlight the specific user that was setup to autologin to see the box.

Just for feedback, I tried your instructions on Win11 24H2 and I do not see what you say either.

From that screen, I think it is in Advanced> Advanced User Management> Advanced> Users> The closest I can come to is:

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It’s on the first tab, Users, if available; but —

If you turned on For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device at Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, Additional settings you will not see the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box until you turn off For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device.

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b wrote:

If you turned on For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device at Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, Additional settings you will not see

I’m not seeing that option either. 🤔

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We’d been using the SysInternals tool Autologon to configure this functionality for about a decade on Windows 7 and 10 PCs. Something definitely changed for 11 (along with our environment).

First some background:

I work for a manufacturing company where almost all knowledge workers are remote (with occasional needs at a traditional office space). We performed a user PC refresh about a year ago, and these were our first Windows 11 PCs. This 3 year hardware cycle is to be the transition from fully on-prem AD (previous cycle) to fully cloud Entra (next cycle). This involved hybrid-joining to Entra, Intune for policy management (no GP), and Autopilot for initial provisioning. Users were hybrid-joined to begin the previous device refresh cycle so this cycle was exclusively devices. The new device provisioning process wasn’t (and still isn’t) amazing, but we’re mostly at a steady state.

Later last year we began replacing the shared PCs at a warehouse and manufacturing site. We hoped to use Intune’s Kiosk mode/capabilities but it proved insufficient for our needs. These employees do not have any technology accounts (and we hope to keep it that way), and the Kiosk mode options were either way too restrictive or require way too much meticulous policy configuration and projected upkeep as the environment changes.

However, this seems to mean that for us, Microsoft accounts are a hard requirement- either already or they will be in a couple years when we deprecate Active Directory for edge PCs (we design for the future, so the result is effectively the same).

How can we make Autologon work on Intune-managed, hybrid-joined devices using hybrid user accounts?

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