Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Enable Windows’ Interactive logon: Don’t display last signed-in security policy. It hides the last user’s name and sign-in tile, so users must enter an account name and password instead. You can set the policy on a supported local Windows device or have an administrator apply it through Group Policy. Microsoft says no restart is required.

Hide the last user from the Windows sign-in screen

  1. Open the Local Security Policy console. Press Windows key + R, type secpol.msc, and press Enter. This console is available on Windows editions that include Local Security Policy.
  2. In the left pane, go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.
  3. Open Interactive logon: Don’t display last signed-in, select Enabled, then select OK.
  4. At the next sign-in, enter the account name and password rather than selecting the previous user’s tile. A restart is not required, according to Microsoft’s policy documentation.

What the policy changes

The setting hides the full name and sign-in tile of the last person who successfully signed in. It also hides that information when someone uses Switch user. The sign-in screen instead prompts for a qualified domain account name or local user name and password. The policy was called Interactive logon: Do not display last user name before Windows 10 version 1703; current Microsoft documentation uses the newer name.

Hiding the displayed name can make it harder for someone with console or Remote Desktop access to use the previous user’s identity as a starting point for sign-in attempts. It does not replace a strong password or other account protections.

When the setting is controlled by an administrator

On a work or school computer, a domain Group Policy may manage this option. If the setting is unavailable, grayed out, or changes back after you edit it, ask the device administrator to check the applicable policy. Microsoft documents that the setting can be distributed through Group Policy.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

How this differs from other sign-in privacy settings

Windows has separate policies for other information and stages of sign-in. Interactive logon: Don’t display last signed-in is the setting for hiding the previous user’s name and tile. Microsoft also documents Block user from showing account details on sign-in and Don’t display username at sign-in; these address account details or username display elsewhere in the sign-in flow, so they are not interchangeable. See Microsoft’s overview of Interactive logon policies if you are trying to hide a different item.

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