Help Index > Macintosh Computers

Disable automatic login in Mac OS X

Mac OS X forces everyone to log into the computer in order to run applications and work with files. However, out of the box, Mac OS X will automatically set itself up to log in as the first account that is created by the Mac OS X Setup Assistant. As long as you only have one account on the computer, you will be able to get to the Desktop -- not a login window -- when you start up the computer. (Behind the scenes, the computer is still logging in with your account. It is just picking your account and entering the password for you.) With automatic logins enabled, anyone who can reboot your computer can get into your account. Therefore, it is recommended that you disable automatic login.

1. Open the System Preferences. It is found in the Apple menu.
2. Click on the "Accounts" icon in the System Preferences window.
3. Click on the "Login Options" item in the list of accounts on the left side of the "Accounts" System Preferences window.
4. Set the "Display Login Window as" option to "Name and password." This improves the security of the computer by forcing each person to log in with a username and password, rather than picking from a list of accounts. (If a list of accounts is shown, then someone who is trying to break into the computer just has to guess a password, not a username and a password.)
5. Turn off the "Automatically log in as" option.

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