Dear Lifehacker, I am seeking your assistance because Lifehacker always has a REAL solution when others don’t. My question is — how do I disable the password prompt in Windows 10 after my laptop wakes up from sleep mode? Hopefully you have one. If not, at least let me know that this is an issue with the OS. Thanks, Ed
Changing password requirements in Windows 10 is really no different to previous versions of Windows. Which is to say it’s easy once you know where to look!
To stop your laptop asking for a password every time it leaves sleep mode, go into the Control Panel (which you can find in Settings), select System and Security and click on Power Options. From here, click on Require a password on wakeup which you should be able see on the left-hand side of the screen.
Then, simply tick the Don’t Require A Password box, and you’re done!
You can also change the password requirements for specific power plans (for example, when you’re running off the laptop’s battery instead of a wall outlet.)
Here are the steps on Microsoft’s Windows 10 support page:
- Open Power Options by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Security, and then clicking Power Options.
- On the Select a power plan page, click Change plan settings under the plan that you want to change.
- On the Change Settings for the plan page, click Change advanced power settings.
- On the Advanced settings tab, under Require a password on wakeup, do one of the following:
- If you’re using a laptop, click On battery or Plugged in (or both), click the arrow, and then click No.
- If you’re using a desktop computer, click Setting, click the arrow, and then click No.
If you’re already tried the above instructions to no avail, it’s likely that a software bug is to blame. Multiple Windows 10 users have been unable to disable password requests on certain tablets and laptops. Microsoft is presumably working on a bug fix for this issue: in the meantime, you can find a workaround here.
Incidentally, there’s a reason why Windows requires a password by default; it’s the simplest way to keep your data secure. If you choose to disable your password, it’s probably a good idea to remove sensitive information first — just in case your laptop gets lost or stolen.
Cheers
Lifehacker
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Comments
3 responses to “Ask LH: How Do I Turn Off Passwords In Windows 10?”
I just use netplwiz, simple but dangerous if you need some privacy. Fortunately, I don’t go wondering with my lappy too often. Just type in netplwiz into the system search and then uncheck the user must enter user name and use your password to disable at the end of the process.
How do I do this but for power on, not just wake up?
This is a terrible idea, unless the machine is being used as a “kiosk” (in which case additional security software/configuration should be employed and there shouldn’t be any personal information on the device). Windows 10 allows you to set up a PIN which can give access to your account on that machine, while being different from your actual password. This PIN makes it very easy to unlock your machine quickly, while keeping your information a little more secure. Please consider using the PIN option, rather than disabling the password — especially on a laptop/tablet!
I’m amazed how many windows users don’t have passwords. Talk about crazy in the 21st century.