Starting with the May 2019 Update (version 1903), the Windows 10 login or sign in screen background picture is blurred by default. In other words, the sign in screen doesn’t display a clear background image.
The acrylic blur effect looks quite nice actually. That said, not all users might like the blur effect.
If you would like to turn off the acrylic blur effect on the login or sign in screen background image, you will be glad to know that you can easily turn off the acrylic blur effect on the Windows 10 sign in screen.
Following are the three ways to disable the blur effect on the login or sign in screen in Windows 10 version 1903 and above.
Method 1 of 3
Disable the sign in screen blur via Settings
This is the easiest method out there to turn off the blur effect on the login screen background picture, but on the flip side it turns off the transparency effect on Start, taskbar, Settings and other areas. If you want to turn off the blur effect only on the login screen, refer to the directions in Method 2 or 3.
Step 1: Navigate to Settings > Personalization > Colors page.
Step 2: Turn off the Transparency effects option to disable the blur on the sign in screen. However, as said before, this will also disable the transparency effects on the Start, taskbar, and other areas.
Method 2 of 3
Disable sign in screen blur via Group Policy
Please note that Group Policy Editor is not available in the Home edition of Windows 10. If you are running the Home edition, please refer to the directions in Method 2 (scroll down to see).
Step 1: Open the Group Policy Editor by typing Edit group policy in Start/taskbar search field and then hitting the Enter key.
Step 2: Navigate to:
Computer configuration > Administrative templates > System > Logon
Step 3: On the right side, look for Show clear logon background policy. Double-click on the same to open its properties.
Step 4: Select the Enabled option and then click the Apply button to turn off the blur effect on the sign in screen background picture and show the clear picture.
Method 3 of 3
Turn off sign in screen blur via Registry
This method is compatible with all editions of Windows 10, including the Home.
Step 1: Type Regedit in the Start/taskbar search field and hit the Enter key. Click the Yes button when you get the User Account Control screen to launch the Registry Editor.
Step 2: In the Registry Editor window, navigate to the following folder:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
Step 3: In the left pane, right-click on the Windows folder, click New, and then click Key. Name the new key System.
Step 4: Now, on the right side, right click on an empty spot, click New and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value and then name it as DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon.
Step 5: Finally, double click on the newly created DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon value and set the value data from the default 0 to 1 to turn off the login screen blur effect.
Set the value data back to 0 to turn on the blur effect.
How to show or hide email address on the sign-in screen in Windows 10 guide might also interest you.
Kevin Wildash says
I used to love those pix during startup so thanks for the solution. The blur was so bad that I couldn’t recognise anything.
FYI, I skipped your method 1 because I didn’t want to mess with the transparency effects that you listed.
I was pretty sure that I had Windows 10 Home version so I also skipped method 2 as you advised.
So I used method 3.
Like some other posters, I found that a new key called System already existed so there was no need to create it.
In the right pane the name was set to Default and the data did not have a value set. Rather than trying to edit this one I simply followed your instructions to add a new name and value. It worked.
AJ says
Thanks for the tips. Honestly, I wish they’d include a slider for the blur, because although I like it, I’d also like to take it down to about half its current intensity. Like others have said, it renders the lock screen wallpaper unrecognizable. Until they address these complaints, though (in their typical “timely” fashion, ha) I suppose I’ll just have to use something abstract.
Richard says
Unable to rename new key system as key already exists. Article is poor in specifics as I initially tried to rename in the right panel (Article does not specify left panel). Have had to delete created key and abandon this advice. Disappointing!
lyle says
thanks so much, hated this effect, i love i can have a non-blurred version of my background when signing in, looks nice. glad i can still keep transparency on windows 10 design which makes it look cool
J. S. says
My PC had transparency effects already off and the registry edit didn’t work. My PC has Windows 10 Home 64, so the policy editor option isn’t available.
The screen going out of focus was uncomfortable and disconcerting. My solution was to make an ALL BLACK image at the same resolution as my monitor and setting that as the LockScreen picture. When it blurs it is still all black.
Jane says
Method #3 also worked for me. Thank you!
Frank says
Thanks. Registry method worked.
Is there also a way to prevent Windows from darkening the background image too?
Mike Williams says
Like others, I am getting fed up with Microsoft changing they way my computer operates without telling me what they have done and how to undo the changes if I wish to. MS regularly claim to produce inclusive and accessible products yet they fail to put this into practice.
Paul says
Method 3 worked for me on Windows Home Edition, but the System folder already existed so I didn’t need to create it first.
It’s remarkable that anyone at Microsoft would feel that a change like this should be applied globally to all users. Good practice with something as cosmetic and subjective as this would be to document it as an optional enhancement(?) and tell people how they can change it if they wish. I’d be surprised if more than a few ever bothered.
In my case it made one of my favourie all-time images of my wife (now dead 11 years sadly) in a striking stately home library setting the day after our marriage unrecognisable.
How do they think this stuff up?
dsudds1963 says
None of the methods worked—I’m on Windows 10 Home, so I couldn’t try the Group Policy Editor to resolve the issue.
Stuck with the ‘blur’ I guess.
jadpager says
I too had a blurred Login screen on Windows 10 Pro May Update on a 4k display.
I tried method 1 and this worked.
I am unsure what turning off the transparency does to the overall running of Windows. So I turned it back on.
I then tried method 2 and this worked also.
Rauni Kujala says
First one worked for me.
One annoying and pointless feature down.
Thanks a lot!
Steve Harness says
Method 1 did not work on my computer. The beautiful picture of my wife in a field of flowers has been reduced to a collection of ugly smudges. Isn’t this feature a betrayal of all the digital revolution was supposed to deliver? Shouldn’t engineers be programming for higher resolution images? There is software for modifying images to taste, so why make a degraded resolution the default? Why aren’t Microsoft engineers working on the all-too-often encountered problem of “Windows has run into a problem and needs to restart.” that happens to my computer every few days?
Steve Harness says
“The acrylic blur effect looks quite nice actually.” Crazy programmers who should be working on fixing the real problems with Windows 10 instead of annoying the users.
Chayim says
Thanks !!!!
Cesar says
Method 3 – Turn off sign in screen blur via Registry; worked for me, thanks a lot!!