How to Fix: Disable Hotmail Automatic Login

Infopackets Reader Joe M. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I am running Windows 10. When I go to Hotmail (Live.com) to login and view my emails, I am automatically logged into my account. I would much rather be able to log into my Live email account manually, but I don't see an option for this. How can I disable the Hotmail automatic login? Other people use the computer and I do not want them gaining easy access to my email account. I'd rather I had to sign in every time. Thanks for any help you can provide. "

My response:

With the release of Windows 10 last year, Microsoft has integrated many of its services using a Microsoft Passport account so that you can access your emails, One Drive, and MS Office (for example) quickly and easily with a single account and without having to login multiple times. This is especially true if you use an email account to sign into Windows.

How to Disable Hotmail / Live.com Automatic Login

You can disable Live.com automatic login by following the steps below; please note that these steps are cumulative, so please do them in order:

1. Disable the Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant. This applies to Windows 8 and 10 only. Please note that by disabling this service, you will also break any automatic sign on associated with your Microsoft Passport account, including One Drive, MS Office, etc. To do so: click Start and type in "msconfig" (no quotes) and press Enter on the keyboard. Go to the Services tab and click the Service column heading to sort the services by name alphabetically. Scroll down to where you see "Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant", and disable the service by removing the check mark beside it. Click the Apply button, then OK, restart your computer, and sign back on again. Following that, you will also need to clear your cookies and disable the "Keep me signed in" option (described in Steps #2 and #3).
    
2. Clear your browser cookies and cache. Cookies help to keep track of user information and aid in the automatic sign-in of websites. If you clear your cookies (and cache), the automatic sign-in should stop working - at least, until you sign in again AND you disable the "remember me" option - described in Step #3 below. To clear your browser cookies, follow these guides for Internet Explorer 11, Firefox, or Chrome.
    
3. Disable the "Remember me" / "Keep me signed in" login option. The next step is to tell the web page / service that you're signing into that you don't want it to remember you each and every time you visit the site, so that you will be prompted for a password. This should be done in conjunction with Step #2 above, otherwise the website will keep signing you in. To do so: login to the web site / service (such as Live.com); once you are signed in, click on your user name and then click Sign Off or Log out. This should take you back to the login page again; if not, you will have to navigate to the login page manually. At this point the login page should be asking you for your user name and password. Look for an option that says "Remember me" or "Keep me signed in" and ensure it does not have a check mark beside it. Then, sign in as usual. The next time you login, it should not remember you.
    
4. Disable Cookies for the website / service you're accessing each time you sign in. As I mentioned in Step #2, cookies play a critical role when signing into a service and/or having that service remember you. You can disable cookies for a particular website by using Internet Explorer 11's InPrivate Browsing mode (CTRL + Shift + P), Firefox's Private Browser feature, or Chrome's Incognito Mode. If you don't want to manually select private browsing each time you sign in, look for a browser plugin that can block / manage cookies for you on a per-site basis, such as Cookie Monster for Firefox.
    
5. Switch to a local Windows account. This applies to Windows 8 and 10 only. If you are still having issues with an automatic sign on to Microsoft services, the next step would be to switch to a local Windows account - but only if you are currently using an email address to sign into Windows 8 or 10. You can switch to a local Windows account by following this guide.
    
6. Another way to prevent someone from looking at your emails is to enable the Windows screen saver with password protection. If you are away from the computer, the screen saver will effectively log you off and prompt for a password to get back in. To enable the screen saver, click Start and type in "screensaver" (no quotes) and then click the option that says "Turn screen saver on or off". When the Screen Saver Settings window appears, set the screen saver to (None) and then check mark the box that says "On resume, display logon screen", then click Apply and OK.

I hope that helps.

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About the author: Dennis Faas is the owner and operator of Infopackets.com. With over 30 years of computing experience, Dennis' areas of expertise are a broad range and include PC hardware, Microsoft Windows, Linux, network administration, and virtualization. Dennis holds a Bachelors degree in Computer Science (1999) and has authored 6 books on the topics of MS Windows and PC Security. If you like the advice you received on this page, please up-vote / Like this page and share it with friends. For technical support inquiries, Dennis can be reached via Live chat online this site using the Zopim Chat service (currently located at the bottom left of the screen); optionally, you can contact Dennis through the website contact form.