Disable Displaying of Last Logged in User in Windows 7

If you have enabled the classic interactive login in Windows 7, then Windows will show the last logged in username everytime it starts. This is a helpful feature because if the same user logs on again, then he/she has to enter only the password. But some users may not like the feature as it will disclose the identity of the user who last used the computer. If you do not like this feature, then you can disable it. Here is how :

Method 1: Using Group Policy Editor

  1. Press the keyboard shortcut Windows Logo Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type gpedit.msc in the Run dialog and press Enter to start the Group Policy Editor
  3. Navigate to the following section in the Group Policy Editor : Computer Configuration → Windows Settings → Security Settings → Local Policies → Security Options.

    Disable Displaying Last Logged on User

  4. Double-click on the setting labeled Interactive Logon: Do not display last user name in the right side pane.
  5. Choose Enabled and click OK to save the settings.

    Disable Displaying Last Logged on User

Method 2: Using Registry Editor

  1. Press the keyboard shortcut Windows Logo Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  2. Type regedit in the Run dialog and press Enter to start the Registry Editor
  3. Navigate to the following section in the Registry Editor :
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesSystem

    Disable Displaying Last Logged on User

  4. Double-click on the value labeled dontdisplaylastusername in the right side pane. If the value is not found, then create a new 32-bit DWORD value of this name.
  5. Change the value of the dontdisplaylastusername to 1.