How to Enable Auto Logon on Windows 10

To make Windows 10 sign in to one account automatically when the PC starts, use Microsoft Sysinternals Autologon. Download the utility from Microsoft, enter the account name, domain, and password, then select Enable. This is convenient on a physically secured single-user computer, but anyone who can reach the desktop can use that account.

Before you enable automatic sign-in

Autologon configures Windows’ built-in automatic logon feature. Microsoft’s download page currently lists Autologon v3.10, published August 29, 2016. Use the official Sysinternals Autologon page rather than an unofficial download mirror.

Have the account’s password ready. A Windows Hello PIN is not the password Autologon asks for. The tool also does not check that the credentials you enter are correct or that the account is allowed to sign in, so confirm both before restarting. This setting applies to automatic sign-in during startup; it does not remove the sign-in requirement when you manually lock the PC.

How to enable auto logon on Windows 10

1. Download and extract Autologon. Open Microsoft’s Sysinternals page, download the utility, and extract the ZIP file to a folder you can find again. In File Explorer, locate Autologon.exe.

2. Run the utility. Right-click Autologon.exe and choose Run as administrator. Approve a User Account Control prompt if Windows displays one. The small Autologon dialog shows fields for the username, domain, and password.
3. Confirm the account and enter its password. Check that the username and domain identify the Windows account you want signed in automatically. If the fields do not identify the right account, correct them using the account information supplied by your PC administrator or shown in Windows account settings. Type the account password in the Password field; do not substitute a PIN.

4. Select Enable and restart to verify. Choose Enable, close the utility, and restart the computer when convenient. Windows should attempt to sign in to the configured account at the console. If the sign-in fails, return to Autologon and verify the username, domain, and password; the utility does not validate them when you click Enable.

How to turn auto logon off

Run Autologon.exe again and select Disable. Restart or sign out to confirm that Windows returns to its normal sign-in screen. To skip one automatic sign-in instead, hold down Shift before choosing Restart or Sign out and keep holding it as Windows reaches the sign-in screen. Microsoft advises holding Shift before choosing Restart or Sign out; on some systems, pressing it only after logging off is too late. See its Shift-key guidance. Disabling Autologon in the utility is the reliable way to turn the setting off.

Security and troubleshooting notes

Automatic logon removes the password prompt at startup, so a person with physical access can reach the account’s desktop and files. Autologon stores the password as an encrypted Local Security Authority (LSA) secret instead of placing it in the Winlogon password field, but Microsoft warns that a user with administrator rights can retrieve and decrypt it. Do not enable this on a shared or unattended laptop, a work-managed computer without approval, or a PC that contains data you need to protect.

If automatic sign-in does not work, check that the account password has not changed and that the account is permitted to sign in locally. If you changed the password, update Autologon with the current one; the utility does not validate credentials when you enable the setting. A domain or Microsoft Entra–joined PC may try to sign in before its network is ready. Microsoft documents network timing limits for these devices, so ask your administrator about the supported configuration. Exchange ActiveSync password restrictions or a logon banner policy can also prevent automatic logon. See Microsoft’s automatic logon guidance for these limitations.

Windows 10 version 22H2 and most Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions reached end of support on October 14, 2025; some LTSC releases and devices enrolled in Extended Security Updates have separate terms. If you still use Windows 10, review Microsoft’s Windows 10 end-of-support information and your device’s current support status before relying on it for sensitive work.