# Windows 7 - Prevent from going to log-in screen. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-prevent-from-going-to-log-in-screen/607857 "2011-12-30T18:28:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-prevent-from-going-to-log-in-screen/607857/1 "2011-12-30T18:28:54Z")
After a few (?) minutes of no activity Windows 7 goes to the log-in screen. How can I stop this and have it remain showing the desktop at all times? I’ve gone to Control Panel \> User Accounts and Family Safety but don’t see a setting there that would help me. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-prevent-from-going-to-log-in-screen/607857/2 "2011-12-30T18:32:39Z")
Control Panel -\> Power Options -\> “Require a password on wakeup” You probably need to click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable” first, then select the “Don’t require a password” option. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-prevent-from-going-to-log-in-screen/607857/3 "2011-12-30T18:35:04Z")
Actually, what I described above just disables the password checking. If you don’t want the screen to go blank at all, go to Control Panel -\> Power Options, then click on “Change plan settings” next to the currently selected plan, then set the “Turn off the display” option to a longer time, or to “never”. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-prevent-from-going-to-log-in-screen/607857/4 "2011-12-30T18:39:19Z")
“Don’t require a password” is already selected there. Windows doesn’t ask me for a password at the log-in screen, I just have to click on the little picture in the center of the screen to return to the desktop, which admittedly is not much, but seems unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-prevent-from-going-to-log-in-screen/607857/5 "2011-12-30T18:44:03Z")
We where typing at the same time. Actually I _do_ want the screen to go black after a while, 30 minutes in my case. What I don’t want is for the desktop to change to the log-in screen after the indeterminate (I guess I could time it) amount of time with no activity. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-prevent-from-going-to-log-in-screen/607857/6 "2011-12-30T19:06:08Z")
How about this: right click the desktop and choose Personalize, then Screen Saver. Uncheck “On resume, display login screen”. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-7-prevent-from-going-to-log-in-screen/607857/7 "2011-12-31T00:43:56Z")
That’s the ticket. Thank you!