Accounts Enable or Disable Password Sign-in Option for Local Accounts in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the password sign-in option and UAC credential provider for all local accounts in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Credential providers are the primary mechanism for user authentication—they currently are the only method for users to prove their identity which is required for sign in and other system authentication scenarios like UAC.

Microsoft provides a variety of credential providers as part of Windows, such as the facial recognition (Windows Hello), fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello), PIN (Windows Hello), security key, password, and picture password sign-in options.

You can disable the ability to use a password to sign in to Windows and provide UAC credentials for all local accounts on the PC. This will remove the Password credential provider from the UAC prompt and Sign-on options on the Sign-in screen. This will not remove or disable "Password" on the Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options page.

Disabling the password sign-in option for all local accounts on the computer is handy way to enable passwordless sign-in for local accounts.

References:

You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable the password sign-in option and credential provider.

This does not affect Microsoft accounts on the PC.

Make sure all local accounts on the PC have set up and added another sign-in optioned (ex: PIN) before disabling the password sign-in option.

Local accounts that only have a password sign-in option available will no longer be available on the sign-in screen if you disable the password sign-in option without adding another sign-in option (ex: PIN).

EXAMPLE: Password sign-in option on Sign-in screen and UAC credential provider




Here's How:

1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.

This is the default setting.

(Contents of REG file for reference)





(Contents of REG file for reference)

4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.

5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.

7 You can now delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink