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Starting Windows 10 Without a Password
Q. Can I change the settings on my Windows 10 laptop so that I don’t have to enter a password every time I start the computer?
A. The password screen that appears each time you start Windows 10 is a security feature Microsoft added to help protect your computer from other people. If you do not share the laptop with anybody else and do not use it in public where others may have a chance to tamper with it, disabling the login screen is less of a security issue, but keep in mind that it does remove a level of protection.
Press the Windows and R keys on the keyboard to open the Run box and enter “netplwiz.” Press the Enter key. In the User Accounts window, select your account and uncheck the box next to “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer.” Click the Apply button. In the box that appears, type your password where prompted. Click the OK button.
Restart the computer. You should not be asked for a password now to get into your Windows 10 PC. Later, if you wind up creating another user account for someone to share the laptop (or you take the computer on the road where someone else could potentially get into your files), consider reversing your steps and reactivating the password requirement in your Windows 10 settings.
Personal Tech invites questions about computer-based technology to techtip@nytimes.com. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually.
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