Sign-in automatically with Microsoft Account in Windows 10

If you are using a Microsoft Account, you can sign-in automatically in Windows 10 using it. After that, you won't have to type your password or pick a user from the login screen. Instead, you will see your Desktop directly.

When you are signing in with a Microsoft account in Windows 10, it requires a password to be entered by the user just like it is necessary for a local account. To save your time and speed up the logon process, you might want to enable automatic logon for your Microsoft Account.

To sign-in automatically with Microsoft Account in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Press the Win + R keys on the keyboard. The Run dialog will appear on the screen. Enter the following command in the Run box:

   netplwiz

   

2. The User Accounts dialog will be opened. Find your Microsoft Account and select it in the list:
3. Untick the checkbox called Users must enter a user name and password to use this PC and click the Apply button.
4. The Automatically sign in prompt will appear.
   Type your password twice and you are done!

Note: In the above dialog the Microsoft Account may be displayed as <your_login_name>_<some_digits>. This is absolutely normal, because Windows 10 creates a local account pair for every Microsoft account. That will be used to sign in when you have no Internet access. In that dialog box you see the name of the local account. So do not change that, just enter your password.

Microsoft Account has deep integration with Microsoft's cloud services like OneDrive, Bing, Skype and Office 365. It provides synchronization of your customizations and preferences. If you are logged in with the same Microsoft Account on each of your PCs, then you will get the same Desktop appearance everywhere (the same background and theme settings). Universal App settings and Quick Access Toolbar buttons will also be synchronized with every PC from where you are signed in.

To restore defaults, run netplwiz again and tick the 'Users must enter a user name and password to use this PC' checkbox. The next time you log on, you will be asked for the password again.

That's it. The same can be done in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.