Have you encountered the missing user and password prompt on the Windows login screen issue? This seems to be a common problem affecting thousands of users. For security reasons, it’s crucial to set a password to log in to your computer. This deters anyone from accessing your desktop without your permission.
What if there’s no password prompt at the login screen in Windows 10? This can be annoying, and users have complained about having to restart their machines multiple times for the missing Windows 10 login prompt to appear.
Today’s post shares several options you can apply to resolve this issue.
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Boot into Windows Safe Mode
Some third-party apps might interfere with the smooth running of your system. Safe Mode helps you to troubleshoot issues affecting your PC, and most probably, it will solve the ‘no username and password prompt on Windows 10 bootup’ error.
To boot your system into Safe Mode:
- If your computer is turned off, switch it on.
- Click the Power button.
- Next, press “Shift” on your keyboard, and click “Restart” simultaneously. This opens boot options. If you are not able to use the Shift key, you can hard restart your PC by pressing the Power button three times until the options screen pops up.
- Select “Troubleshoot”, and then open Advanced Options > Startup Settings.
- Choose “Enable Safe Mode with Networking” or hit number 5 on your keyboard.
Your computer will reboot in the Safe Mode environment, and you can employ the following options:
Option 1: Scan Your PC for Virus Infections
Malicious programs can change how your computer behaves and might be the cause for the missing Windows 10 login screen. In Safe Mode, it’s easy to detect those infections that your PC could not notice in Normal Mode.
You can use the built-in Windows Defender tool to run a scan:
- Open “Settings”, and then go to Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
- Choose “Scan options”.
- Select “Windows Defender Offline scan”. Windows will restart and begin the scanning process.
For a more comprehensive scan, we recommend downloading and installing the Auslogics Anti-Malware tool. It will identify and remove hazardous applications and files that silently infiltrate into your system to cause damage.
Option 2: Run a System Scan Using the SFC Command
- Right-click “Start” and select “Command Prompt (Admin)”.
- Next, type sfc /scannow and hit “Enter”.
- When the process is complete, restart your PC and see if you’ll be prompted to enter your password.
Option 3: Create a New User Account
If your user account is corrupted, then it will be difficult to use it. You can create a new account to resolve this problem. Remember, you’re still in Safe Mode since the Windows 10 login screen does not appear.
To create a new user account:
- Launch “Settings”, and then go to Accounts > Family & other users.
- Select “Add someone else to this PC”.
- If you’re using Windows 10 version 1809, select “I don’t have this person’s sign-in information”.
- Now, select “Add a user without a Microsoft Account” and follow the on-screen instructions to create a new user account.
This should resolve the ‘no password prompt at the login screen in Windows 10’ issue.
Option 4: Enable Automatic Login
Automatic login doesn’t actually solve the ‘missing login screen in Windows 10’ problem. However, it temporarily enables you to access your desktop. To set automatic login:
- Press the Windows Key+R.
- Input netplwiz into the “Run” dialog box and click “OK” or press “Enter”. This launches the “User Accounts” window.
- Under the “Users” tab, uncheck the “User must enter a username and password to use this computer” box.
- Click “Apply” and then select the “OK” button for the modifications to take effect.
When you reboot your computer, Windows will automatically sign in without displaying the login screen.
Option 5: Fix Errors in Your System Automatically
Like with any other system, failing to clean out your computer will clog it and slow down its performance. We recommend a tool that’s been tested and approved for use on computer systems by Microsoft. The Auslogics BoostSpeed tool strategically scans your PC to identify junk files occupying disk space, corrupt keys in the Windows registry that cause system instability, and issues affecting the startup process.
After the diagnosis, the tool will repair the Windows registry to remove invalid entries that may cause system crashes, purge unnecessary and duplicate files, and improve your PC’s boot time. What’s more, the tool offers recommendations on how to optimize your Windows PC for faster performance.
When the Auslogics BoostSpeed tool finishes cleaning out your system and optimizes all the settings, restart your PC, and the Windows 10 login screen should now be displayed.
Option 6: Set the Credential Manager Service to Automatic
The Credential Manager service is where Windows stores the login information, such as usernames, passwords, and addresses, that you use to sign in to websites and other computers on a network. When it is set to manual, the login screen may not appear on Windows startup.
Follow these steps to turn the Credential Manager service to automatic:
- In the Windows 10 search box, type services and hit “Enter”.
- Locate “Credential Manager” in the “Services” window, and right-click it.
- Select “Properties”.
- Under the “General” tab, locate “Startup type”, and select “Automatic” from the drop-down list.
- Click the “Start” button under “Service status”. If it’s greyed out, then it means the service is already running.
- Click “Apply” and then “OK”.
Check if the ‘Windows 10 login screen doesn’t display’ issue has been resolved.
Option 7: Run Command Prompt from Boot
You can also try troubleshooting the user account settings with a Command Prompt line at boot.
- On the startup screen, click the “Power” button.
- Press “Shift” and click “Restart” simultaneously.
- Open Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
- Type in the following command: net user Administrator /active:yes, and press “Enter” to execute the command.
- Restart your computer to check if Windows will prompt you for your login credentials.
Option 8: Reset Your PC
If you’ve tried all the above options but you still can’t resolve the missing user and password prompt on Windows login screen issue, the last resort is to reset your PC. In most cases, this is a guaranteed fix to many PC problems because all the settings will be restored back to their defaults.
Remember, with Reset this PC, all the third-party software programs will be removed from your computer, and you’ll have to reinstall them afresh.
Since you can’t access your desktop, you need to reset your PC from the Boot menu.
- Boot your PC in Safe Mode, using steps 1 & 2 in Option 7 above.
- Select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
- Choose “Keep my files” if you want to retain your personal files. If you want to erase everything, select “Remove everything”.
This may take a while, and if you’re using a laptop, ensure it has enough charge. After your computer starts afresh, the Windows login screen should work normally.
We hope this guide provides the help you need to resolve the ‘no username and password prompt on Windows 10 bootup’ problem. If you’re still facing the same issue, share your experience in the comments below.