How to make the administrator account invisible in Windows 7
The easiest way to clean up the login screen is to require users to enter both their username and password; this means that you’ll only ever see one prompt rather than the multiple icon boxes. To do this you’ll need to be logged in to your Administrator account. First off, press the Windows key, then type regedit into the search box.
Now navigate through the menu in the left hand pane to the following folder – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesSystem
In this folder you’ll find the file dontdisplaylastusername, which is the one you’ll need to edit. Right click on the file and select Modify. A pop up box will appear with a space for entering the ‘Value data’. Type 1 then press ok. That’s it, now all you have to do is close regedit, log off, and when you return to the login screen you’ll see an empty box with two fields for username and password below it.
How to make the administrator account invisible in Windows 8
The process is almost exactly the same in Windows 8 and 8.1. From the Windows Start screen start typing regedit, then when it pops up in the list of options in the right hand column double click on it to launch the application. Now it’s pretty much identical to the Windows 7 method. So navigate to – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesSystem Right click on the dontdisplaylastusername file, click modify, then change the value in the pop up box to 1 and click OK.
Log off and you’ll be presented with the standard username and password log in option.
How to make the administrator account visible again
Follow the exact same instructions as above for either system, then when you modify the dontdisplaylastusername file set the value to 0. Now your system will be back to the way it was originally. Martyn has been involved with tech ever since the arrival of his ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s. He covers iOS, Android, Windows and macOS, writing tutorials, buying guides and reviews for Macworld and its sister site Tech Advisor.
