How to Make a Windows 7 Auto Login

If security isn't a big issue for you, configuring Windows 7 to log in to your user account automatically can save you some time when your computer is starting up. Just follow the tutorial outlined below to make Windows 7 automatically log in to your user account.

Once you're done with the steps below, Windows 7 will stop prompting for a user name and password when your computer starts up!

How To Automatically Logon To Windows 7

Setting up the auto log in takes about 10 minutes or less.? NOTE: Not a Windows 7 user?

See How Do I Auto Login to Windows? for auto login instructions for your version of Windows.

1. Click on Start and then enter the following in the search box:
   netplwiz
   Press the ENTER key. The Advanced User Accounts Control Panel applet will open.
   
   Tip: The Advanced User Accounts tool isn't the only Windows 7 program or utility you can open via a command. Just about every Windows 7 feature can be opened this way, which can sometimes really come in handy. See my Run Commands in Windows 7 for a complete list.
    
2. In the Users tab, which is what should appear first, uncheck the box next to Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.
   
   Note: If you don't see this checkbox, you may be logging in via a domain controller, a common situation in business environments. See How to Auto Log in In a Domain Scenario for help.
    
3. Click on the Apply button at the bottom of the User Accounts window once that's done.
    

1. When the Automatically Log On dialog box appears, enter the user name you wish to automatically login to Windows 7 with.
    
2. Next, enter your account password in the two fields where it's asked.
    
3. Click the OK button.
    
4. Click the next OK button, located on the User Accounts window, to complete the process.
   
   From now on, when your computer starts up, Windows 7 will log in automatically - no need to choose or enter a user, nor a password.

Automatically Logging in to Windows 7 Isn't Always a Good Idea

As great as it sounds to be able to skip over that sometimes-annoying login process when Windows 7 starts, it's not always a good idea.

In fact, it may even be a bad idea and here's why: computers are less and less physically secure.

If your Windows 7 computer is a desktop and that desktop is in your home, which is probably locked and otherwise secure, then setting up automatic logon is probably a relatively safe thing to do.

On the other hand, if you're using a Windows 7 laptop, netbook, tablet, or another portable computer that often leaves your home, I highly recommend that you do not configure it to automatically log in.

The login screen is the first defense your computer has from a user that shouldn't have access. If your computer is stolen and you've configured it to skip right over that basic protection, the thief will have access to everything you have on it - email, social networks, other passwords, bank accounts, and more.

How to Use Auto Login in a Domain Scenario

You will not be able to configure your Windows 7 computer to use an auto login in exactly the way described above if your computer is a member of a domain.

In a domain login situation, which is common in larger business networks, your credentials are stored on a server run by your company's IT department, not on the Windows 7 PC you're using. This complicates the Windows 7 auto login setup process a little bit, but it's still possible.

Here's how to get that checkbox from Step 2 (above) to appear so you can check it:

1. Open Registry Editor which, in Windows 7, is most easily done by executing regedit from the search box after you click the Start button.
   
   Important: While following the steps below exactly should be perfectly safe, I highly recommend that you back up the registry prior to making the changes. See How to Back Up the Windows Registry if you need help.
    
2. From the registry hive listing on the left, choose HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, followed by Software.
    
3. Continue drilling down through the nested registry keys, first to Microsoft, then Windows NT, then CurrentVersion, and then finally Winlogon.
    
4. With Winlogon selected on the left, locate the registry value of AutoAdminLogon on the right.
    
5. Double-click on AutoAdminLogon and change the Value data to 1 from 0.
    
6. Click OK.
    
7. Restart your computer and then follow the standard Windows 7 auto-login procedure outlined above.

That should work, but if not, you may have to manually add a few additional registry values yourself. It's not too difficult.

1. Work back to Winlogon in the Windows 7 registry, as outlined above from Step 1 through Step 3.
    
2. Add the string values of DefaultDomainName, DeftaultUserName, and DefaultPassword, assuming they don't already exist.
    
3. Set the Value data as your domain, user name, and password, respectively.
    
4. Restart your computer and test to see that you can use the auto login without entering your normal Windows 7 credentials.