Win11 - remove deleted account from login screen

Allen Cobb 11 Reputation points
2021-12-21T15:31:52.143+00:00

Running latest Win11/64. Login screen shows deleted account as default login.

How can I remove that login from the login screen?

It is completely removed and inaccessible (it was a test, and was never used). But to log in, I have to click ENTER to get the wrong password error and then pick the NEXT login on screen to log in. It's a nuisance, and there should be a way to clean up the login screen. Please help.

Thanks in advance.

Windows 11
Windows 11
A Microsoft operating system designed for productivity, creativity, and ease of use.
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  1. Jeff Evertse 11 Reputation points
    2022-10-23T14:51:18.073+00:00

    Change the following registry entries to remove the "ghost" profile logon.
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\DefaultUserName = blank
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\AutoAdminLogon = 0
    Reboot.

    2 people found this answer helpful.

  2. Michael Taylor 50,431 Reputation points
    2021-12-21T16:10:05.72+00:00

    Go to the registry editor (regedit). Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI. Change the LastedLoggedOnUser keys to the user you want. Alternatively you might be able to wipe them out and Windows should recreate them (never tried that). See if that resolves your issue.

    1 person found this answer helpful.

  3. Allen Cobb 11 Reputation points
    2021-12-27T15:59:32.55+00:00

    Thanks for the suggestion.

    The account is already deleted, and I don't see the original account name in the registry. Auto-login was never enabled for any accounts.

    I can't do a brute force search, since the login name occurs in hundreds of other words. Also, I assume that account info is encrypted anyway.

    Surely there's a way to control what is displayed on the cold start login screen! This kind of bug shouldn't be allowed to persist so long.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  4. Joakim 11 Reputation points
    2022-05-11T06:59:59.837+00:00

    I have the same issue.

    I added a Azure AD user to the local Windows 11.

    It was used for a week.

    The account have been deleted.

    But every time I login (via RDP) to the computer the old account is set as default for logging in.

    Frustrating

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  5. Kapil Arya 7,861 Reputation points MVP
    2021-12-23T11:16:33.037+00:00

    Run lusrmgr.msc command, and in case if you see the account there, delete it or right click and select Account is disabled.

    If you enabled auto login for that account, you also need to remove its auto login entries under registry.

    Refer:

    https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/user-profiles-and-logon/turn-on-automatic-logon

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