how do I enable automatic user login in Yosemite

OK I was having the same problem and the instructions here and else where have been of little help and here is why. No matter how many times I changed my password or did any of the other things suggested and when your computer sleeps or restarts a password is being required. It appears that Apple in its infinite track down crazy road has moved the auto login option. A word about this would have just been to easy so make the users life miserable why don't you. Here is what I had to do and it works.

1. Go to preferences and select Security & Privacy.

2, For some reason on my system the top box (Require password after sleep or screen saver begins was checked (do not know why, never used file vault and have always had auto login).

3. Uncheck the box and a drop down appears asking if you want automatic login. I selected the auto login selection and now all is well.

Hope this helps. Until this update it has always been in the users tab but it seems to have been moved to Security tab?????

If you are using your AppleID password as your user login password OR if you have enabled a FileVault encryption, then Automatic Login is disabled and greyed out.

If you have enabled FileVault, then try to disable it: OS X Yosemite: Turn off FileVault encryption

If you have used your AppleID details to setup user account on your Mac and you are using your Apple ID password to login, then change the password and use a separete password: OS X Yosemite: Change the login password

Thank you!!!!! only this one worked !!! i was looking for half an hour online and this one cracked it !

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jhi-ed

Mar 2, 2015 6:39 AM

Heres what I had to do: 1. Go to "Users and Groups". 2. Select the administrator under "Current User". 3. Unlock the padlock at the bottom of the window. 4. Select "Password" at the top of the window. 5. Select "Change Password" opposite the user. 6. In the dropdown window that appears select "Change Password". 7. In the dropdown window that appears enter your old password. 8. In the "New password" space enter either the password that you used for the "Old password" (if you want to keep it) or change it to a new one (your choice), I kept my old one so as to preclude the possibility of having to change it in all my other Apple toys. 9. Then enter the password again to verify. 10. Select "Change Password". 11. Now go back to "Users and Groups", unlock the padlock, select "Login Options" in the "Current user" column and the "Automatic login" option window should now be accessible. Hope this works for you.

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Thank you jhi-ed! I don't know if it was changing the password (to the same password) that helped or disconnecting the users and groups from my iCloud password. Regardless, it worked! Thanks!!

Does anyone have any other ideas? I've followed jhi-eds' suggestions and unfortunately it didn't work. After changing my password, in UserGroups the "Automatic Login" option is still greyed out. In the Security Tab, "Disable Automatic Log In" is also still greyed out. I"m running Yosemite 10.10.5.

Is FileVault turned on? As said above, if you've encrypted your hard drive with FileVault, then you HAVE to enter a password at startup. Otherwise, anyone who steals your laptop can defeat the encryption by restarting your Mac.

Firevault is not turned on ...

And you've clicked on the padlock?

Yes

Try typing this into Terminal

defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.loginwindow.plist autoLoginUser <name>

.. where <name> is your username. Or edit the file named in that command in a text editor, adding or modifying the following lines:

<key>autoLoginUser</key>

<string>MyName</string>

Ok I typed that into Terminal ... It didn't seem to change anything. Options stated above are still greyed out.

Have you rebooted to check what happens?

Yes, it did nothing to either option.

I'm guessing you didn't automatically login, either?

If the preferences are greyed out, and can't be manually edited, then I'm afraid I don't know what it might be without a deeper inspection of your Mac.

You'll have to take it to an Apple Store or live with typing a password.