In Windows 11, how do I boot directly into the login screen?

The Lock Screen can be disabled in one of two ways: by editing the Registry directly, or by using the Group Policy Editor.

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Using the Registry

Editing the Registry is always risky, and you should first create a System Restore point before going any further. You can either edit the Registry manually, or run the .reg file I've provided below, which is safer and more reliable.

Edit the Registry manually

1. Open the Registry Editor by searching for it in the search bar

2. Navigate to the following key by pasting it into the Registry Editor's search and pressing Enter:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
   

3. Within that key, look for a key called Personalization, or create it if it doesn't exist

4. Right-click on the Personalization key, select New > DWORD (32-Bit Value), and name the value NoLockScreen

5. Double-click on the newly-created value and change its value to 1

Run the Registry file

1. Create a new plain text file and copy and paste the following into it:

    Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Personalization]
    "NoLockScreen"=dword:00000001
   

2. Rename the file so that it ends with a .reg extension

3. Double-click on the file to run it, and click Yes to confirm

The next time you restart, you will boot directly into the login screen.

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Using the Group Policy Editor (Professional and Enterprise only)

The Group Policy Editor tool is only available in the Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows 10 and 11, and is typically only used in network environments. It makes its changes by adding the same keys to the Registry that I did above, and should best be seen as a graphical interface for system and network administrators to more manageably apply registry changes across an entire network.

Therefore, if you're only making the change to a single PC, you shouldn't need to use the GPE unless you're having trouble editing the Registry directly.

Change the policy in the Group Policy Editor

1. Open the Group Policy Editor by searching for Edit group policy in the search bar

2. In the sidebar, select Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel > Personalization

3. Double-click on the Do not display the lock screen policy and set it to Enabled

4. Click Apply

The next time you restart, you'll boot directly into the login screen.