Windows 8: disable lock screen
Deactivating the new lock screen under Windows 8 definitely makes sense on desktop computers. Even if it only has a real benefit on touch screens, it appears every time Windows 8 is started - whether you like it or not. Here we show you two ways to get rid of the lockscreen permanently.
Remove lock screen from Windows 8 using Group Policy
The simplest way is via the so-called "Editor for local group guidelines", which is not delivered with all Win-8 versions.
- Go to the home screen and look for "gpedit.msc". Then a link with the name "gpedit" should be found. Click on it to open the editor.
- In the navigation bar on the left, navigate to Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates> Control Panel> Customization.
- Double-click "Don't show lock screen again".
- Now select the "Activated" field in the top left and click "OK". The next time Windows 8 is started, the lockscreen will no longer be displayed.
- If you want to have the lock screen back later, go exactly the same way and select the "Deactivated" field again.
Switch off the lock screen using the user account control
If you don't find gpedit.msc, the editor is missing in your Windows 8 installation. In this case, use the user account control:
- Open the console via Win + R, then enter "userpasswords2".
- In the user account control, select the desired user (s) and remove the checkmark next to "User must enter user name and password.
- After clicking on "OK" or "Apply", enter the corresponding login data for each user individually in the following password query.
- This should skip the lock screen for the corresponding user when restarting - you will then be logged in automatically.