How to Disable Sign-In Animation to Reach Desktop Faster on Windows 11

When you sign in to Windows 11, a brief animation plays as the lock screen transitions to the desktop. This animation, while visually smooth, adds a small delay before you can start working. The delay is caused by the system waiting for the animation sequence to complete before loading your desktop shell and startup programs. This article shows you how to disable the sign-in animation through the Registry Editor, reducing the time between entering your password and seeing your desktop.

Understanding the Sign-In Animation Process

The sign-in animation is part of the Windows 11 logon UI. When you enter your password or use Windows Hello, the system runs a short visual transition that fades or slides the lock screen away and reveals the desktop background. This animation is controlled by a Registry value under the LogonUI key. Disabling it removes the visual transition, so the desktop appears immediately after authentication. No other system functionality is affected. You only need administrator access to edit the Registry.

Steps to Disable the Sign-In Animation via Registry Editor

1. Open Registry Editor
   Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter. Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt.
2. Navigate to the LogonUI key
   In Registry Editor, paste or type the following path into the address bar and press Enter:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\BootAnimation
3. Create or modify the DWORD value
   In the right pane, look for a value named DisableStatusAnimation. If it does not exist, right-click an empty space, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it DisableStatusAnimation. Double-click the value, set the Value data to 1, and click OK.
4. Close Registry Editor and restart
   Close Registry Editor. Sign out of your account and sign back in, or restart your computer. The animation will no longer play.

Common Issues and Things to Avoid

“DisableStatusAnimation” value does not exist

If the BootAnimation key does not exist, create it. Right-click the LogonUI key, select New > Key, and name it BootAnimation. Then follow step 3 above.

Animation still plays after setting the value

Ensure you set the value to 1 and not 0. A value of 0 enables the animation. Also verify that you edited the correct Registry path. Sign out completely or restart to apply the change.

Accidentally modifying other Registry values

Do not change or delete any other values under the LogonUI or BootAnimation keys. Unauthorized changes can cause sign-in issues or prevent the lock screen from displaying correctly. Only modify the DisableStatusAnimation value.

Sign-In Animation Enabled vs Disabled: Desktop Load Time

Item	Animation Enabled (Default)	Animation Disabled
Description	System plays a fade/slide transition after authentication	Desktop appears immediately after authentication
Time to desktop	Approximately 0.5–1.5 seconds longer than disabled	No added delay beyond normal sign-in processing
Visual feedback	Smooth transition between lock screen and desktop	Abrupt switch — no transition
Effect on startup programs	Startup programs begin loading after animation ends	Startup programs begin loading immediately

You can now disable the sign-in animation on Windows 11 by editing the Registry, removing the visual delay between authentication and desktop access. This change is safe and reversible: set DisableStatusAnimation back to 0 if you want the animation restored. For an even faster startup, consider enabling Fast Startup in Power Options or reducing the number of startup applications in Task Manager. The Registry edit takes effect after a single sign-out and sign-in, and does not affect any other system animations or visual effects.