Windows 10: Sign in User Account Automatically at Windows 10 Startup

Hello sciencegal, *Smile

You can have Windows automatically sign in to a local account or Microsoft account. It doesn't matter.

Is you account listed more than once in netplwiz? Double check to make sure that you have selected the correct account in step 3 Option 1.

The password is case sensitive, so be sure to enter it exactly for it to work properly.

 

The account is only listed once.

I think without going back and trying again that I had to type the password twice. If I typed it wrong twice then would that result in it not working?

 

Correct. It wouldn't work if the password was typed incorrectly.

If that is the case, you would just need to set up netplwiz again using the correct password.

 

Alrighty, I'll try again.

 

Weird, I turned it on but it got stuck on the acer splash screen. I held down the power button until it turned off - that would be a hard reboot in my more comfortable win7 world. It booted up and I could see it skip the login screen and went straight to the desktop. I posted in the other thread I have going describing this and several problems that maybe I am not actually turning off the computer when all I do is close the lid. I could not find a shut down option like I have in win7. If the computer is not really shutting of then it makes sense that that the login options would not apply.

This problem is solved.

 

That would explain that then. I'm glad you got it sorted. *Smile

 

In your Power Scheme , you should be able to set the Action for closing the Lid to Shutdown instead of the Default "Sleep" on many laptops , most modern laptops started up really fast anyway so turning it off with the Lid should work fine.

Lid Close Default Action - Change in Windows 10

KB

Editted....you are freaking me out Brink *Smile I was wondering how that link got in my post *Smile

 

Agreed! On most of the more recent as well as latest you will either need to hold the power button or use the shutdown options in the Start menu(7, 10 not 8, 8.1 without 3rd party help) to shut the unit off entirely. Just one other thing to note is that without an MS account or other proprietary type commercial type of account as for a business the automatic log in to the local won't necessarily be the admin account but simply the default local user account.

For advanced settings and other things you would then need to enable the hidden administrator built into Windows account. Note this is generally only enabled by advanced users since changes made could end up being permanent and need to observe caution while enabled! Administrator account - Enable or Disable in Windows 10

What that is for is when not having full administrator privileges for the single user account you plan to work with. And once you have things set up the way you want them the idea of seeing to a full system image backup of the present state would be a good idea to followup on as well. That is one of the guides worth looking over in the Backup & Restore section of the guides. *Smile
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/...-a.html?filter

 

Local account has the same privileges as logging in with a Microsoft Account. The first account created during setup is a member of the administrators group by default regardless of which type of account you chose. It's only the second user account etc created that will default to standard user. I've done it. Switching from one to the other won't affect your privileges either, you stay a member of the administrators group. I've done that too.

 

Is there any way to automate this?

I'm writing a script that requires a reboot in the middle (after I change the pagefile size and turn off hibernation). I can add something to RunOnce to continue running it but is there some way to (from a script) to log on automatically?

Do I have to hard code the user name and password? I can do that as it is only me but if there was a more generic way it would be better. Can I call the Windows API to request and save the credentials somehow?

 

If you have sleep or hibernation mode enabled you will continue to run into the need to sign in. For having Windows start up fresh following a shutdown however the process is automatic once you have everything set simply by following the steps in the guide here. I found it works for both desktops and laptops.

 

Are you saying RunOnce doesn't work after Hybrid Sleep? That is something to test for sure.

My script turns off system restore, hibernation and sets the pagefile to 200MB. I then want it to reboot (and sign on automatically) and carry on with the rest of the stuff it needs to do by putting the .ps1 in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce

Is it possible or am I approaching this problem the wrong way?

 

I never have things set to either the sleep or hybernation mode. But with both the Toshiba 10 laptop I bought a year ago to replace an older HP laptop seeing 7 upgraded to 10 when either saw the display turn off after so many minutes sometimes the need to log back was needed when the lock screen after having sat idle to too long. That would another type of standby mode being seen there.

One of the first thing since those were intended to benefit someone else in a care facility the custom power plan options for never turning the display off as well as no longer needing the standby by the never option and disabling the sleep, hybernation modes were set up to see the laptop made active and automatic log in every time the unit is fired up without the extra step.

The laptops I upgraded to 10 for others are were set automatically log in while their displays go into standby mode and no one has complained about the need to sign in all the time. So it will depend on how well the results are the first time around since you may to do the steps all over a second or third time to get results. It may also be from a particular model laptop with a certain brand where you might have to find an alternate solution. Simply look at how many different makes and models and how many varying locations globally are out there. Back 17-18yrs. ago you might find an HP listed for $5,200.00US and now only pay less then $520 due to competing brands and the need to lower prices as time went along producing all types of machines.

The first thing I would recommend here would trying to go over the steps from the start again just in you missed something. Or you would try both Option One and Two using both methods like I did here and haven't had a problem on any machine since. The system then has to look at both GPE and Registry settings alike.

 

I was having some issues installing a program and to save time, I removed my admin password and made myself auto signing in first before the 2nd user....

i have now now resolved the program issue, but trying to change the user sign in back has been problematic.

I manage to get the 2nd user to sign in automatically without a password, but there is now No option for me to sign in...
when I try a function that requires admin rights it still asks for my password. If I go to user profile in control panel, when first I opened only the 2nd user is there, then when I click change another user it shows both accounts.

I tried deleting my account as there is nothing of importance, and recreated one with the same name, made no difference.....I used netplwiz to change the order and sign in requirements initially, but can't for the life of me get things back as they were.

I am sure it's something simple but it's baffling me

 

Hey Steve, *Smile

If you haven't already, check the "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" box in netplwiz and apply to see if that will get you back to normal for having to sign in. Be sure that all accounts have passwords.