If you are the only person using your home PC, typing a password or PIN every time you power on can be frustrating. You might have run netplwiz as suggested online, only to find the crucial checkbox missing. Here is how to restore the missing option and boot directly to your desktop.
Quick Summary
- Press Win + R, type netplwiz, and uncheck “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer” to enable auto login.
- If the checkbox is missing, open regedit and change the DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion value from 2 to 0 under PasswordLess\Device.
- Because this bypasses the login screen completely, it is not recommended for laptops or shared PCs.
The Basics: Skipping Password Entry with netplwiz
Locking your bedroom door and unlocking it every time you enter gets tedious when you live alone. Using Windows’ built-in account management tool, netplwiz, you can bypass the lock screen password verification step at startup.
The setup is straightforward. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog, type netplwiz, and press Enter.
1. Click on the user account you want to use from the list.
2. Uncheck “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.”
3. Click [Apply], enter your current account password twice in the pop-up window, and click [OK].
Once finished, reboot your computer. It will bypass the login screen and load straight into your desktop.
Checkbox Missing? 1-Minute Registry Fix
On Windows 11 and recent feature updates (22H2, 23H2, 24H2, etc.), this checkbox is often hidden due to stricter security policies. This happens because Microsoft pushes “Windows Hello” PIN and biometric sign-in by default.
To restore the checkbox, you only need to modify one registry value. Press Win + R, type regedit, and open the Registry Editor.
| Item | Path and Value Details |
|---|---|
| Registry Path | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device |
| Value Name | DevicePasswordLessBuildVersion |
| Value Data | Default 2 → Change to 0 (Hexadecimal) |
After changing the value to 0, close the Registry Editor and open Win + R → netplwiz again. The missing checkbox will appear. Alternatively, you can also toggle off “For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in” under Win + I Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options.
Note that while most official guides recommend setting the value to 0, some community discussions mention that setting it to 1 also works, showing slight variation across sources.
Security Precautions Before Enabling Auto Login
Auto login is convenient, but it eliminates physical device security. Anyone turning on the PC can immediately access your personal files and system data without authentication.
For this reason, avoid enabling this on laptops that could be lost or stolen, as well as shared PCs. It is best reserved for single-user desktop PCs at home.
Additionally, while this registry edit works with Microsoft accounts, some users report that switching to a local account prevents unexpected sign-in glitches. Advanced users may also configure the AutoAdminLogon string value to 1 in the Winlogon registry key or use Sysinternals’ official “Autologon” utility.
If you are on a personal desktop PC, change the registry value to 0 and uncheck the netplwiz option to speed up your startup routine.
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