Password-protecting your Windows computer is important to keep it safe from online and offline intruders, but entering the password each time you try to log in into your Windows computer is sometimes frustrating and time-consuming. That said, we can’t just remove the user account password, as this negates the security provided by the Windows user account control (UAC).
So, if you have a single user PC and if you are looking for a way around this problem, we will show you how to log in into your Windows 8 computer automatically without losing the additional security provided by your Windows account password. Actually, this little feature in Windows is helpful for single user computers as this bypasses the traditional Windows login screen and speeds up the whole boot process.
Note:
- Even though we are showing this tip using a Windows 8 PC, this trick will work just fine even with Windows 7.
- This trick only works if you are logging in with a local account. If you are using a Microsoft account to log in into your Windows computer, this trick may not work for you.
Log In Into a Windows 8 Computer Automatically
1. To make your Windows 8 computer automatically log in, we need to change a couple of settings buried deep inside your operating system. To do that, press “Win + R” to open the Run dialog box. Here type in “netplwiz” and press the enter button. Alternatively, open your start screen by pressing the “WIN” button, type “netplwiz” and press the enter button.
2.The above action will open “User accounts” window where it will display all the user accounts that your computer has. In my case, as you can see, I only have one user account in my PC.
3. Here select your user account and uncheck the check box “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer.” Now click on the Apply button.
4. This action will open the “Automatically sign in” dialog box where you have to enter your password twice. Once you have entered your password, click on the OK button.
5. Here under the user accounts window, click on the OK button to save the changes and close it.
That’s all there is to do.
If you ever want to disable this automatic login feature in your Windows 8 PC, just reverse the whole process, i.e. select your user account, select the check-box “Users must enter a username and password to use this computer,” and click on the Apply and Ok buttons to save changes.
Using automatic sign in to log in into your Windows computer is pretty neat, but please know that after enabling this feature, anyone with physical access to your computer can easily log in without any requirement of the password. So, if you are really worried about your data while using this automatic login feature in Windows, it is recommended to use some sort of encryption software (like DiskCryptor or the built-in tool, Bitlocker) to encrypt your data in the hard disk.
Would you feel safe logging in to your Windows 8 computer using this method? Do comment below if you face any problems and share your thoughts.
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One should not trust the Windows password, anyway. It is a trivial matter to change/delete it with free linux tools on a bootable cd/thumb.
small point, but you make the common error of using the word ‘loosing’ when you mean ‘losing’
They have totally different meanings !!
ARE YOU F*ING SERIOUS???!!!
Windows is as full of security holes as a piece of swiss cheese and you are advising people to bypass entering a password during login. Do you have any locks on windows and doors in your home or did you get rid of them too??? Having to use a key to open a lock is so time consuming and inconvenient. It is sooooo much more convenient to just push it open.
You are a menace to the user community! I am surprised that MTE even considered publishing your article. Why don’t you do something really useful for the user community and write an article on two factor authentication, or is that too inconvenient?!
Hi dragonmouth, thanks for your opinion.
I’m just showing an in-built feature in Windows and it is up to the end user whether to use this feature are not.
Excellent reply! People like dragonmouth have no solutions in life, but merely criticize those that do! I for one do find you article very useful, and I do not rely on logins to secure my pc!! They do not work well anyhow! Your article has saved me tons of time! Keep up the good work!
I’m glad my article helped you, hope to see you around.
Your response, Robert, shows that you do not have the foggiest notion of security and the ramifications of a password-less login. Unless your entire hard drive is encrypted, anybody with physical access to your computer has access to all your data.
“Your article has saved me tons of time!”
And how many “tons of time” are you going to spend when your pc and/or your data is compromised? All convenience has its price. In this case the price is the secuirty of your pc and your data.
Well, dumbass… since, as you say, Windows’ security is laughable, WTF difference does a password make, anyway?
Dumbass.
“I’m just showing an in-built feature in Windows and it is up to the end user whether to use this feature are not.”
Which is great. However, I don’t think that the majority of MTE readers are tech-savvy enough to understand the implications of password-less login. It may be convenient but it is dangerous. I suspect that the tendency would be to opt for the convenince over the security.
Well, dumbass… since, as you say, Windows’ security is laughable, WTF difference does a password make, anyway?
Dumbass.
Like the idea but my concern is that if I lost or got my laptop stolen anybody would have access to it. Is this correct?
Yep that’s correct!!! Anyone with physical access can login into your Windows machine. This solution works better for single user desktops rather than laptops.
Thanks for the reply Vamsi.
That’s what I thought and therefore as much I like to access it quickly, I would rather be safe than sorry.