How to automatically login without a password into Windows (using netplwiz)

Regardless of whether you use Windows 10 or Windows 7, you may want to automatically login without entering a password, while keeping your existing user account password. You may have a long password, and you are using a PC where only you have access. If this is what you want, then you are in luck. With the help of a hidden Windows app named netplwiz, you can set Windows to automatically log you in without typing the password, each time you start your PC. Here is how it's done:

Contents

1. Step 1. Disable the "Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts" option (only if you're using Windows 10)
2. Step 2. Open the hidden User Accounts window using the "control userpasswords2" or netplwiz.exe command
3. Step 3. How to login into Windows without a password
4. Windows no password login using netplwiz: Important security considerations!
5. Why did you want to login without a password?

NOTE: This guide covers Windows 10 with May 2020 Update and Windows 7. The procedure is almost the same in both operating systems, so we decided to create screenshots in Windows 10 only.

Step 1. Disable the "Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts" option (only if you're using Windows 10)

If you're using Windows 7, skip to the next step. However, if you're on Windows 10 with May 2020 Update or newer, you must first disable the "Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts" option. It's a mandatory step; otherwise, you can't log in without a password. That's because you get no such option on the next steps in the hidden netplwiz window. Netplwiz won't work as expected, even if you're using an offline account.

Start by opening the Settings app on your Windows 10 PC. In it, open Accounts, select Sign-in options on the left side of the window, and then turn Off the "Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts" setting.

Disable Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts

Step 2. Open the hidden User Accounts window using the "control userpasswords2" or netplwiz.exe command

To change the settings required for you to automatically login to Windows without having to type your password each time you start your PC, you first have to open a "hidden" User Accounts window. There are many ways to do that:

One of the fastest is to press Windows + R on your keyboard and open the Run window. In the Run window, type one of the following two commands: netplwiz.exe or control userpasswords2. Regardless of the command you use, the result is the same.

Using the Run box to execute the control userpasswords2 command

Another way is to use the search. For example, in Windows 10, type netplwiz in the search box near the Start button. In Windows 7, type the same command in the Start Menu search box. Then, click or tap the netplwiz.exe search result.

Searching for netplwiz

Last but not least, you can also use the Command Prompt. Type netplwiz or control userpasswords2 and press Enter.

Open netplwiz from the Command Prompt

The User Accounts window is shown, and it looks similar to the screenshot below. This window lists all the user accounts, both Microsoft accounts and local accounts, that exist on your PC. The list includes the user that you used to log in.

The netplwiz User Accounts window

Now it is time to perform the next step, which is the most important.

Step 3. How to login into Windows without a password

Select the user account for which you no longer want to type the password to log into Windows. Then, uncheck the "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" option and click or tap OK.

Turning off Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer

NOTE: If you're using Windows 10 with May 2020 Update or newer and you don't see the "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" setting, make sure that you've performed the first step from this tutorial.

You are then asked to type the password of that user account and confirm it. When you're done, click or tap on OK.

Entering the password of the selected user account

The next time you start Windows, you are automatically logged in with the user you just selected.

Windows login without password

No matter whether you are using Windows 10 or Windows 7, this user account becomes the default for logging in.

Windows no password login using netplwiz: Important security considerations!

You should know that enabling this "login without password" option in Windows poses some serious security risks. That's because, when you do this, Windows stores your user account's password as an LSA secret, and that means it can be hacked. Although it's not as bad as storing your password in plain text, it's not impossible to decrypt using specialized tools such as NirSoft's LSASecretsView.

Unless you're doing this on a home computer to which you're the only one who has access, we don't recommend it. You shouldn't enable the automatic Windows login with no password on a work computer from your office, and you definitely shouldn't do it on a laptop or tablet that you're taking away with you on the road. In such cases, it's much better to trade convenience for security and not use this trick. After all, if your device gets stolen, you don't want other people to be able to log in automatically.

Also, if your Windows computer or device is part of a network domain, such as a corporate network, this procedure does not work. On network domains, the policies regarding the login procedure are set by the network administrator and cannot be overwritten by users. If you try this on your work PC, it is likely not to work. This only works if you are using a personal computer or a device that you manage.

Furthermore, even on a home PC, if you have multiple user accounts on your Windows computer or device, using netplwiz to make logging in without a password possible might prove to be an inconvenience instead of a blessing. Windows will always log in automatically to the user account that you've selected during this procedure. To log in using another account, you need to wait for Windows to startup and login. Then, you have to sign out or switch to the other user account you want to log on to.

Sign out or switch user accounts in Windows 10

Finally, don't forget that, if you want to set things back to the way they were, you can follow the same procedure and check the option that says "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer." Then, press the OK button.

Why did you want to login without a password?

Now you know how to make your Windows computer or device sign you in automatically, without a password. This trick works well on your home computer, which is used mostly by you or family members that you trust. However, as you've also found out, it's not really safe. Did you choose to use netplwiz to login without a password? Why did you want that? Did everything work as expected, or did you encounter problems? Leave a comment below and let us know.