How to Turn On or Off Auto Unlock When Windows Recognizes Your Face in Windows 11

What is Windows Hello?

Windows Hello allows you to sign into your Windows 11 PC without typing a password, using your face, fingerprint, or a special PIN instead. This makes logging in quicker and enhances account security. Your PIN is tied exclusively to your device, offering greater safety than a standard password.

Windows Hello makes signing in faster and safer; your PIN works only on your device and is backed by your Microsoft account.

You can set up face sign-in using your PC’s built-in infrared camera or an external one.

Once you’ve configured facial recognition, you can choose whether your PC’s lock screen should unlock automatically when it detects your face.

How to Turn On or Off Auto Unlock with Face Recognition

Option 1Use 🪟 Windows 11 Settings (Easy Way)

1. Press Windows key + I to ⚙️ open Settings.
2. Click Accounts on the left side.
3. Click Sign-in options on the right.
4. Under Ways to sign in, find and click the arrow next to Facial recognition (Windows Hello) to open more options.
5. Check the box for “Automatically dismiss the lock screen if Windows Hello recognizes your face” to turn it on, or uncheck it to turn it off.
6. Close ⚙️ the Settings window when done.

To turn the Windows Hello auto-unlock feature on or off, use the Windows 11 ⚙️ Settings app. Open Settings by pressing the Windows key + I. Navigate to Accounts, then Sign-in options. Expand the Facial recognition settings and adjust the ‘Automatically dismiss the lock screen’ option.

Expand the Facial recognition settings.

Toggle the ‘Automatically dismiss the lock screen’ option.

Option 2Use Registry Editor (For Advanced Users)

For those comfortable with advanced configurations, you can alter the Windows Hello auto-unlock behavior by modifying the Windows Registry. This process involves opening Windows Terminal and executing specific commands to locate your user ID, also known as a Security Identifier (SID). Subsequently, you’ll update registry keys—specific entries in Windows’ configuration database—associated with your account to modify the auto-unlock setting.

1. Open Windows Terminal, and choose Windows PowerShell.
2. Type this command and press Enter to see all user accounts and their IDs (called SIDs):
   
   Get-WmiObject win32_useraccount | Select name,sid
3. Find the SID for the user you want to change. It looks like this: S-1-5-21-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx-xxxx.
4. Open Registry Editor by typing regedit in the ⊞ Start menu and pressing Enter.
5. In Registry Editor, go to:
   
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\Logon UI\FaceLogon
6. Look for a folder (called a key) named with the SID you found earlier and click on it.
7. On the right side, double-click AutoDismissOn.
8. Change the value to 1 to turn on auto unlock, or 0 to turn it off, then click OK.
9. Close Registry Editor and Windows Terminal when done.

Here’s the command showing user accounts and SIDs:

Here’s how the registry folder looks:

Registry key where face recognition settings are stored.

Helpful Links

• Windows Hello Face Authentication
• Windows Hello Biometric Requirements
• Windows Hello Biometrics in Enterprises
• Troubleshoot Windows Hello Problems

Summary

Windows Hello facial recognition allows you to unlock your PC using your face, with the option to control whether the lock screen dismisses automatically.