The lock screen is the screen you see at startup and when you lock (Win+L) the PC. You will need to dismiss the lock screen to to see the sign-in screen and sign in to Windows.
By default, the sign-in screen background image has an acrylic blur effect as part of Windows 11 transparency effects.
If you would prefer to have a clear sign-in screen background image without affecting other transparency effects for users, you can enable the Show clear logon background group policy.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the acrylic blur effect on the sign-in screen background image for all users in Windows 11.
To help secure your PC, Windows requires users to sign in on wakeup from sleep, hibernate, or resuming from Modern Standby (if supported) by default.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable to require sign-in on wakeup from sleep, hibernate, or Modern Standby for all users in Windows 11.
By default at the startup of Windows 11, you need to dismiss the Lock screen, select the account you want to sign in to on the Sign-in screen, and sign in to the account using the selected sign-in option (ex: password, picture password, PIN (Windows Hello), facial recognition (Windows Hello), or fingerprint (Windows Hello).
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable automatically sign in to a specific account at startup in Windows 11.
You can keep your device even more secure by removing passwords when signing in to Windows 11 with Microsoft accounts on your device. All the places on your device where you use your Microsoft account and password (even your apps and browsers) will automatically switch to modern multifactor authentication with Windows Hello Face, Fingerprint, or PIN.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts for passwordless sign-in on your Windows 11 device.
Autofill in Microsoft Edge helps you be more productive by letting you save passwords. Passwords are only saved with your explicit permission for each password. When you visit a website that requires you to sign in, Microsoft Edge will ask if you want your user name and password remembered for the site. The next time you visit the site, Microsoft Edge will automatically finish filling in your saved account info by default.
By default, Microsoft Edge won’t ask you for permission each time before automatically signing in to a website.
Starting with Microsoft Edge Dev and Canary, you can select to have Microsoft Edge ask you to enter your Windows 10 device account password before auto-filling your password on a website.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable automatically sign in to a website or auto-filling your password on a website in Microsoft Edge.
The DelayLockInterval time in Windows 10 is the amount of time after the display turns off before you are required to sign in when you move the mouse, touch the touchpad or touchscreen, click a mouse or touchpad button, or press a key to turn the display back on without the computer going to sleep or hibernate first.
When the display turns off automatically on Windows 10 desktop and laptop type devices, you are not required to sign in by default when you move the mouse, touch the touchpad or touchscreen, click a mouse or touchpad button, or press a key to turn the display back on. You can continue where you left off when the display turns back on without being required to sign in first.
When the display turns off automatically on Windows 10 2-in-1, convertible, Surface, and tablet type devices, you are required to sign in by default when you move the mouse, touch the touchpad or touchscreen, click a mouse or touchpad button, or press a key to turn the display back on. You will be required to dismiss the lock screen, and sign in to Windows 10 before being able to continue where you left off when the display turns back on.
If you have a short turn off display time set and are constantly having to move the mouse, touch the touchpad or touchscreen, click a mouse or touchpad button, or press a key to turn the display back on, it can be a real pain to also be required to sign in each time if you have a short DelayLockInterval time delay.
If you are not required to sign in after the display turns off, you may want to enable and set a specified DelayLockInterval time delay to automatically require sign in for better security.
If you like, you can enable and change or disable this DelayLockInterval time delay depending on what you want for your situation.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable require sign-in after a specified time when the display turns off for your account in Windows 10.
If you chose Enabled in the Sign-in and lock last interactive user automatically after a restart policy, you can configure its settings through the Configure the mode of automatically signing in and locking last interactive user after a restart or cold boot policy​.
If you chose Disabled in the Sign-in and lock last interactive user automatically after a restart policy, then automatic sign on will not occur and the Configure the mode of automatically signing in and locking last interactive user after a restart or cold boot policy does not need to be configured.
The Configure the mode of automatically signing in and locking last interactive user after a restart or cold boot policy setting controls the configuration under which an automatic restart and sign on and lock occurs after a restart or cold boot.
This tutorial will show you how to configure the mode of automatically signing in and locking last interactive user after a restart or cold boot for all users in Windows 10.
Windows 10 makes it easy to add the accounts you use for your apps in one place in Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts so you can sign in to your favorite apps easier and faster.
When you add an account in this central location in Settings, that account will be a listed account available to select to sign in to an app with. This can be handy so you no longer have to manually add the account for each individual app you want to sign in to with it.
This tutorial will show you how to add and remove accounts used by other apps to sign in with for your account in Windows 10.
Starting with at least Windows 10 build 18963, you can have Windows automatically save your restartable apps when you sign out, restart the computer, or shut down the computer and restart them after your sign in.
Note: This new Restart apps setting has been separated from the old “Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device and reopen my apps after an update or restart” setting.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off automatically restart apps after sign in for your account in Windows 10.
For improved security and a more seamless sign-in experience, you can now enable passwordless sign-in for Microsoft accounts on your Windows 10 device starting with Windows 10 build 18936.
Enabling passwordless sign-in will switch all Microsoft accounts on your Windows 10 device to only allow modern authentication with Windows Hello Face, Fingerprint, or PIN.
Enabling passwordless sign-in will remove the password and picture password sign-in options for all Microsoft accounts on the sign-in screen and in Accounts > Sign-in options > Settings.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable passwordless sign-in to only allow Windows Hello sign-in for all Microsoft accounts on your Windows 10 device.
A user’s account picture will show on the sign-in screen by default in Windows 10.
This tutorial will show you how to remove the user account picture on the sign-in screen for all users in Windows 10.
By default, you need to dismiss the lock screen and enter your credentials to sign in to Windows 10 with your account.
By default, the Guest account is denied to sign in locally to Windows 10.
This tutorial will show you how to deny specific users and groups from being able to sign in (log on) locally to a Windows 10 PC.
By default, you need to dismiss the lock screen and enter your credentials to sign in to Windows 10 with your account.
By default, Users, Guests, Backup Operators, and Administrators are able to sign in locally to Windows 10.
This tutorial will show you how to allow or prevent specific users and groups from being able to sign in (log on) locally to a Windows 10 PC.
A network based on a Domain provides centralized administration of the entire network from a single computer which is called a server. A Domain provides single user login from any computer connected to that network within the network perimeter. Users are allowed (or restricted) to access resources depending upon the permissions they have.
By default, local user accounts are not shown (enumerated) on the sign-in screen on domain-joined computers. Only domain accounts will show on the sign-in screen by default on domain-joined computers.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable showing all local users on the sign-in screen on a domain joined Windows 10 PC.
Starting with Windows 10 build 18237, Microsoft added an acrylic blur effect to the sign-in screen background. The translucent texture of this transient surface helps you focus on the sign-in task by moving the actionable controls up in the visual hierarchy while maintaining their accessibility.
Starting with Windows 10 build 18298, users could turn on or off all transparency effects that would also turn on or off the acrylic blur effect on their sign-in screen background.
Starting with Windows 10 build 18312, Microsoft added a new group policy setting allowing you (administrator) to enable or disable the acrylic blur effect feature on the sign-in screen background for all users without affecting their transparency effects setting.
If you enable the acrylic blur effect on the sign-in screen background, users will still have to turn on transparency effects for their account to see it.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the acrylic blur effect on the sign-in screen background for all users in Windows 10.