7/2/13 How to Create Hidden User Account (Hide User Account from Welcome Screen) in Windows « My Digital Life
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Feb 21, 2009 My Digital Life Editorial Team 110 Comments DeliciousStumbleUpon
How to Create Hidden User Account (Hide UserAccount from Welcome Screen) in Windows
Windows operating system including Windows 7,
Windows Vista and Windows XP allows multiple
user accounts to be created on the computer, be
it administrators or standard users. When there
is more than one user accounts been defined and
created on the PC, Windows will display
Welcome Screen, with all available user
accounts listed so that user can click and login.
However, showing and displaying of user
accounts on the Welcome Screen is probably a
weakness in the security point of view, more so if
the user account is intended to be a hidden or
backup user account. In fact, there is trick to
make user account or administrator account that
normally been listed on the Welcome Screen to
be hidden from view.
In order to hide a user account (which also means create a hidden user account) in Windows XP, Vista,
or Windows 7, just go to Control Panel User module and create an additional user as usually do
(Control Panel -> User Accounts and Family Safety -> User Accounts in Windows 7 and Windows
Vista). If you already have an existing user that wants to be made hidden, invisible or disappeared from
Welcome Screen, then go straight to guide below.
1. Run Registry Editor (RegEdit.exe).
2. Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList
Note: If SpecialAccounts and UserList is not found, create new sub-key and name them accordingly.
3. Select UserList, and in the right pane, right click on any blank space, and point to New -> DWORD
(32-bit) Value.
4. Name the new DWORD registry value name as the exact same name that match the name of the
user account to be hidden.
For example, if the user ID of the user account is John, the name the registry value as John.
5. Double click on DWORD registry value, and set the value data to 0 in oder to hide the account from
Welcome Screen.
Tip: To display the user account on Welcome Screen again so that it’s visible again, delete the registry
entry, or set the value data to 1.
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7/2/13 How to Create Hidden User Account (Hide User Account from Welcome Screen) in Windows « My Digital Life
www.mydigitallife.info/how-to-create-hidden-user-account-hide-user-account-from-welcome-screen-in-windows/ 2/9
6. Exit Registry Editor.
7. Log off or restart computer to make the change effective.
Tip: In order to login into Windows using an user account that has made hidden and invisible, just press
Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up Windows Logon dialog, and then type in the user name and password
manually.
Related Posts:
How to Automatically Log On or Sign In to a User Account in Windows 7
How to Disable or Deactivate User Account in Windows 7
Reveal All Hidden User Folders In “Send To” Right Click Menu in Windows 7
Turn Off or Disable User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista
How to Clear and Don’t Display Last User Name who Logged In On Windows Logon Screen
110 Comments
Max March 2, 2013 at 6:53 am
Or you could just type
net user enter_account_name_here /active:no
in a command window after running it as Administer
REPLY
Jeff March 4, 2013 at 8:18 am
Max, there is a huge difference between this and using /active:no. You can still use
accounts hidden through this method, ie in Run As User, or for remotely logging onto
the computer
REPLY
kaz February 12, 2013 at 2:16 am
Here is the quick solution to everybody’s problems [Vista and 7]:
1) Log in to any user on the computer
2) Start>Run [Win>R, keyboard] and type in regedit. A UAC (User Access Control) window
will pop up.
3) Enter credentials of hidden user account
4) ???
5) Profit.
REPLY
marcus February 3, 2013 at 11:22 pm
everyone shut up for a sec – people like me are saying that when we press ctrl alt del – it
doesnt work, now help
REPLY
IT lover November 11, 2012 at 1:35 pm
It works perfectly!
thanks
REPLY
edwin January 26, 2012 at 5:24 pm REPLY
7/2/13 How to Create Hidden User Account (Hide User Account from Welcome Screen) in Windows « My Digital Life
www.mydigitallife.info/how-to-create-hidden-user-account-hide-user-account-from-welcome-screen-in-windows/ 3/9
ok, let settled this matter once and for all. @all, b4 you hid any user account using the
method above, pls do the following if you are a win7 or vista user.
type in secpol.msc into the start menu search box and then navigate to Local Policies \
Security Options.
Find the setting for “Interactive Logon: Do not display last user name” and change it to
enabled.
@poster, pls update your post.
Wammy August 28, 2012 at 9:59 pm
secpol.msc is not available in Win7 Home Premium. Either that or I’m doing something
wrong.
The registry edit worked, but now there’s no way for me to get to the hidden account
from the login screen.
REPLY
Anonymous November 19, 2012 at 12:23 am
That will work in only in Windows 7 Professional or higher versions..Genius!
REPLY
Hiding User Account Renders Administrator Inaccesible -Overclockedtechies January 10, 2012 at 6:10 am
[...] for the kicker, I was told the user followed this tutorial (http://www.mydigitallife.info/how-to-
create-hidden-user-account-hide-user-account-from-welcome-scree… – that post should be
DELETED) to hide the admin account, if you read the comments you will find [...]
REPLY
Kshitiz January 3, 2012 at 12:30 am
Thanks very much. it was very useful
REPLY
jekjan December 15, 2011 at 10:16 pm
hey
when i press control +alt + del nothing shows up
REPLY
Thanks October 25, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Thanks! It works! I wanted to create a new admin account for backup processing but don’t
want to show it on my logon screen. I have another admin account that I use normally.
*cheers*
REPLY
lolcat October 21, 2011 at 7:16 pm
an easier method would be to enable “Interactive logon: Do not display last user name” in the
local group policy editor,and that wont lock you out of your admin account like the method
described here.
REPLY
prince September 27, 2011 at 3:38 pm
is there any way to hide it totally without it been seen in control panel or in local user account
REPLY
jonnie walker September 20, 2011 at 2:13 am
after restart when i press ctrl alt del. nothing happens :S
REPLY
Lars September 14, 2011 at 1:10 pm
I took three eggs and cracked them on the side of the bowl, added three cups of orange
extract, two teaspoons, no, oops, two TABLE spoons of cane sugar and a cup of flour. Even
though I baked for 30 minutes at 350 degrees I still can't find my underwear when the dryer
goes to the delicate cycle because, let's face it; DAMN. I need to go on a diet.
REPLY
7/2/13 How to Create Hidden User Account (Hide User Account from Welcome Screen) in Windows « My Digital Life
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What's say you?
Ramy September 9, 2011 at 6:32 am
this post is hillarious… "including Windows 7" … seriously? What a poorly written article.
WARNING – Once you do this in Windows 7, you WILL disable all accounts that you put into
the UserList (including Administrator if you add it to the list. Ctrl Alt Del does NOT work in
Windows 7 to bring up classic login box. All of the "noob" comments are worthless also since
this article is aimed toward them.
REPLY
Cunty November 27, 2012 at 5:02 am
WROOOOOOOOOONG. Ctrl+Alt+Del can be enabled to bring up manual login on
Windows 7. Thought thats pretty basic stuff………………………………………….. You’d
think that all these geeks on a computer post would know what they’re talking about.
But no, ALAS. All the virgins have got it wrong.
REPLY
LoLz @ U Lot August 16, 2011 at 4:21 pm
the whole point of hiding it is so it cant be logged on! why would you want to hide it if you
wanted it to be usable aswell, there are many uses for that account e.g. network logon and as
mentioned above, running elevated tasks. also why hide the only admin account? your
obviously locking yourself out!
We have an id10t problem in here and its nothing to do with me.
REPLY
Orlynao? August 26, 2011 at 7:38 am
I have my way to get through it and access the winlogon account via the winlogon, with
a certain logon program. If you know what you are doing, you will certainly able to make
use of this function well.
With this, I have my account hidden nicely.
REPLY
Undefined July 23, 2011 at 8:28 pm
This is a good post though it does work only for XP and Vista maybe but windows 7 does not
have "Special accounts" folder in the registry. But as I was reading through the comments, I
just found out that the comments are posted by damn stupid no0bs who don't even understand
what they are doing.. Just following the steps isnt enough, u need to knw what you are doing !
Anyways this is a good post
REPLY
scorp July 6, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Omg guys,
if you hide your account, it does not mean it has been disabled. Simply run cmd under any
user and write:
"runas /u:admin cmd" … where "admin" is your hidden account, it will prompt for password.
Type it there and system will run command line with the rights of admin. Then type "regedit"
and delete that account from registry.
no need to do anything with restore or similar workarounds..
REPLY
hans May 26, 2011 at 11:13 pm
The above steps only work for previous / earlier versions of windows except VISTA and
Windows 7…
REPLY
Alex May 26, 2011 at 10:11 pm
I strongly suggest you indicate that the Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut works ONLY on pre-Vista.
I followed your directions and hid my only admin account, hoping to access it using the
combination but it failed.
But for the fact that I'd created a System Restore point on the previous day, I might have had
to reinstall my OS.
REPLY
7/2/13 How to Create Hidden User Account (Hide User Account from Welcome Screen) in Windows « My Digital Life
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Andres May 21, 2011 at 3:17 pm
this bullshit post screwed my computer up… I can't access or unblocked my administrator
account…please help…my operating system is vista…DO NOT FOLLOW THIS POST, IT IS
GONNA BLOCKED YOUR ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT FOREVER… STUPID WEBSITE :/
REPLY
Pissed May 20, 2011 at 8:29 am
Why are you guys leaving this post up. I just wasted 20 minutes fixing your lame handy work.
TAKE DOWN THIS POST. AND IF YOUR READING THIS, I URGE YOU TO STOP NOW!
The simple fix: First off, don't panic, yes you just got screwed!
Then navigate to your system drive, and open your windows folder. Typically "C:windows".
Find "regedit.exe", while depressing the shift key, right click the file, and choose "Run as
different user". Enter your credentials and walla.
Note: selecting "Run as administrator" will not work. And baring any folder lockouts, this could
also work on the "system restore" link under "all programs / accessories".
And again, "REMOVE THIS POST, YOUR INVITING TROUBLE FROM THE WRONG
PEOPLE!!"
REPLY
Eph July 9, 2011 at 9:46 am
Thanks for this post. The people that are complaining dont understand what the purpose
of this action is. Please dont delete this.
REPLY
grant May 6, 2011 at 7:31 am
Please note that hitting Ctrl+Alt+Del twice doesn't work on Windows 7 (when tested with
Windows 7 Professional, May, 2011). This article is very helpful for other operating systems,
but please don't try it with Windows 7. You may have to go in and reverse the registry change
in order to have your hidden account show up again.
Dear MDL Editorial Team… do you have an update with some tips for Windows 7 users on this
issue? Thanks!
REPLY
Chris May 4, 2011 at 6:14 pm
NOTICE TO ALL PEOPLE: the ctrl+alt+del only works if the last operation was a restart or log
off. It does not work if you just switch users.
REPLY
andycire March 9, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Just follow the comment posted by Carlito:
** QUICK FIX FOR PPL LOCKED OUT OF ACCOUNTS **
This process will truly help you…
REPLY
ankit February 18, 2011 at 6:50 am
oh that's awesome baby
thanx …………
REPLY
MrBIL January 9, 2011 at 11:22 am
SOLUTION
If you have locked yourself out by implementing this in Winders.7 and hiding all Admin
accounts:
From another Win7 machine on the same LAN, do a Remote Desktop session to the problem
computer. (If you cannot find the icon, just type "mstsc" (without the quotes) in the search box
and press [Enter])
Via Remote Desktop, logon with Admin credentials, then reverse what you did to hide the
admin accounts, make it/them visible again on the logon screen.
REPLY
7/2/13 How to Create Hidden User Account (Hide User Account from Welcome Screen) in Windows « My Digital Life
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If the problem computer is already on the logon screen, you'll need to either login with any
available account, then log back off OR restart Winders in order to see the effects of your
change.
Enjoy!
akhil July 13, 2011 at 1:35 am
thanks man! awsome, you've just made my task easier
REPLY
UGH. December 26, 2010 at 11:50 am
what the hell… i am so screwed. YAR i didnt read your comment before making this and i
made the only admin on our cpu invisible. AM I SCREWED?! is there any freaking way to fix
this?? please help… i have like files that i really need.
REPLY
MaltaBoy December 7, 2010 at 5:56 am
*before* you hide users, *enable* CTRL-ALT-DEL for logon as follows, since it is NOT
ENABLED by default in Windows 7:
- Go to the start menu
- in the search box type: netplwiz
- right click netplwiz and chose "run as Administrator"
- in the user account floater that appears, go to the tab "Advanced"
- now tick "Require users to press CTRL+Alt+Delete"
REPLY
AtechSupportGuy July 30, 2011 at 12:12 pm
This^̂ ̂Thanks. Most important bit of information in the entire page. You should email
this to the guy that wrote the article.
REPLY
Jonathan September 22, 2011 at 6:45 pm
YOU ARE THE ONE, MAN !
REPLY
Koffecopter December 7, 2010 at 5:43 am
I'm not sure if I did right, but this bs doesn't work for me,
I created "SpecialAccounts" in WinLogon and then created "UserList" in that one, then that
registry key value to the User ID and then changed the value to 0.
I followed the instructions exactly, but it doesn't work……………………………..
REPLY
Yar December 7, 2010 at 4:47 am
As others have pointed out – since Windows 7 removed the ctrl-alt-del[2] function that
temporarily enables the mandatory login prompt, this trick is NOT recommended on Windows
7 and will likely cause significant impairment. If you have the discretionary login enabled (the
welcome screen where you pick an account) and you hide an account, then you can never
access that account again without peforming one of the painful recovery steps that other
commenters have listed. As long as you keep one admin account enabled you can use a
program like WinBubbles to manage this fairly easily, but if you hide all your admins, or even
worse, all of your users, then you are in trouble.
REPLY
Biomorph November 11, 2010 at 11:54 am
OK. THE "Ctrl, Alt, Del" to reveal hidden users in Win7 logon screen does not work.
Here is how I fixed it so that I could get back control of my machine.
Grab a copy of Offline NT Password & Registry Editor http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/
Create the boot cd from the .iso
Boot with the cd.
REPLY
7/2/13 How to Create Hidden User Account (Hide User Account from Welcome Screen) in Windows « My Digital Life
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Choose "Promote User" from the menu.
Promote a normal user to an admin user.
Save changes and reboot into win7.
Login with the newly promoted user and delete the registy entry previously created.
Logout, and the hidden user now shows on the login screen.
Note to the author of this site: PLEASE UPDATE THIS TIP TO POINT OUT THAT THIS WILL
CRIPPLE A WIN 7 MACHINE!!!
hello October 8, 2010 at 8:02 am
i love this.use the "Run as" if u dont need to log-on(shift +right click a program, enter account
credentials of hidden account).i just use it to make the pc more secure.i never need to log in
to the account, just to run elevated stuff. happy days.and to all the noobs who didnt do it write,
you make me laugh.hahahahhahaha.also, you can change windows to use the ctrl+alt+delete
screen-look on the net somewhere.
REPLY
Ravi October 6, 2010 at 5:17 am
Fuck
Who's wrote these….after creating new key-sub key…the process not working….
REPLY
Awesome September 30, 2010 at 7:31 am
Cheers for the info. Worked like a charm.
REPLY
Perkele September 28, 2010 at 4:26 am
WTF, now I must reisntall my pc, because I have workin admin account now. that should be
hang by the neck… who wrote that fucking instraction….
REPLY
Nime September 15, 2010 at 5:17 am
Restart in safe mode then you will access the administrative or hidden account(s) again.
REPLY
Robaye August 23, 2010 at 7:11 pm
There are a couple of freeware hide utilities I've seen. I keep them both handy.
User Control usercontrol.isgreat.org
XP User Hide intelliadmin.com
REPLY
Wilson August 15, 2010 at 6:47 pm
This was not useful at all because I can't go on any farther than the logon screen BECAUSE I
CAN'T LOGIN.
REPLY
pokematrix247 July 23, 2010 at 12:19 pm
I can not get any of it working,
speacial users does not show up,
+ alt+ctrl+dlt doesn't work!!!
help
REPLY
Siamak Shams » Windows 7: How to Hide User Login May 21, 2010 at 10:35 pm
[...] account. This is done by manipulating Windows Registry. I found the most useful
instructions at My Digital Life. You’ll find the same or similar instructions in quite a few
places too. The instructions are [...]
REPLY
Tito May 3, 2010 at 3:48 am REPLY
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try pressing "Ctrl + Alt + Delete[2]" means press Delete twice, it will surely work
Mayflower May 3, 2010 at 3:09 am
DOESN'T WORK!!! VERY DISSAPOINTED.
REPLY
Pyvarex April 26, 2010 at 10:34 am
the ctrl alt del function only work on the home screen when no users are logged on!
REPLY
isaac April 25, 2010 at 9:35 am
i had an error
REPLY
Albert April 15, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Close but no cigar…. How can you log on to the account once it is hidden. The CTRL DELETE
will not work.
Nice Try tho.
REPLY
Riddles April 12, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I was able to hide the other user account but the Ctrl+Alt+Del DOES NOT WORK!!!! on logon
screen for Windows 7.
REPLY
Hamid April 12, 2010 at 3:52 pm
I did this to Hide my Adminstrator. Now I can't log on as an Admin, I tried to delete it but it
wount let me. can you please help me.
REPLY
writinghelp May 12, 2011 at 8:53 am
Dear Hamid you can do it from another account. Delete that registry key and the issue
would be resolved.
REPLY
Hawken April 11, 2010 at 2:42 pm
But you can still see it from control panel… is there any way to hide it from there as well?
The information is awesome
Keep up the good work
REPLY
Naineesh April 10, 2010 at 2:33 am
you guys are awesome,you have every information which everyone needs.
REPLY
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