How to Turn Off the Blurred Sign-in Screen Background in Windows 11 and 10

To turn off the blurred background on the Windows 11 or Windows 10 sign-in screen, enable the "Show clear logon background" policy in Group Policy (Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon), or set the DWORD DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon to 1 under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System. The quickest alternative is switching off Transparency effects in Settings, which also removes transparency everywhere else.

This guide covers all three ways to remove the Windows login screen blur, which Windows editions each one works on, how to undo them, and how to change or hide the picture on the Windows login screen itself.

Why the Windows sign-in screen background is blurred

The Windows sign-in screen is blurred because Microsoft applies an acrylic blur effect to the background image once you dismiss the lock screen. The lock screen itself shows the picture sharply; the blur starts when you click, press a key or swipe up to reach the password, PIN or Windows Hello prompt.

Microsoft introduced the effect in Windows 10 version 1903 to put the focus on the sign-in form, and Windows 11 keeps it by default. The blur is part of the system's transparency effects, so it only appears while Transparency effects are turned on. Turning on a high contrast theme also disables transparency effects.

There are two ways to get a clear background:

• Turn off Transparency effects for the whole system (any edition, per user).
• Disable only the sign-in blur with the "Show clear logon background" policy, either in Group Policy or through its registry value (device-wide).

The picture behind the blur is your lock screen background. If you want the image file itself, see where Windows stores its wallpapers and background images.

Method 1: Turn off Transparency effects in Settings

Turning off Transparency effects removes the sign-in screen blur on every Windows 11 and Windows 10 edition, including Home, without admin tools. The trade-off is that the Start menu, taskbar, quick settings and app windows lose their translucent look as well.

Windows 11:

1. Press Windows-I to open Settings.
2. Go to Personalization > Colors.
3. Set Transparency effects to Off.

The same toggle is also available under Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects. On Windows 10, the path is Settings > Personalization > Colors > Transparency effects.

Lock the screen with Windows-L and click to open the sign-in prompt to check the result. To undo the change, set Transparency effects back to On.

Method 2: Enable "Show clear logon background" in Group Policy

The "Show clear logon background" policy disables only the acrylic blur on the sign-in screen and leaves transparency effects untouched everywhere else. Microsoft lists it for Pro, Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise editions, on Windows 11 version 21H2 and later and on Windows 10 version 2004 and later. Windows Home does not include the Local Group Policy Editor, so Home users should use Method 3.

1. Press Windows-R, type gpedit.msc and select OK.
2. Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Logon.
3. Double-click "Show clear logon background".
4. Select Enabled, then OK.
5. Lock the screen or restart to see the clear background.

The policy text explains the behavior: if you enable it, the logon background image shows without blur; if you disable it or leave it Not Configured, the image keeps the acrylic blur effect. To undo the change, set the policy to Not Configured.

Administrators who manage devices with Intune or another MDM can set the same policy through the ADMX_Logon/DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon node of the Policy CSP.

Method 3: Set DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon in the Registry

The DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon registry value is what the Group Policy setting writes, so setting it to 1 gives you the same clear sign-in background on any edition, including Windows 11 Home and Windows 10 Home. You need an administrator account because the value lives under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

1. Press Windows-R, type regedit and select OK. Confirm the User Account Control prompt.
2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System. If the System key does not exist, right-click Windows, choose New > Key and name it System.
3. Right-click System and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name it DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon.
5. Double-click the value, set it to 1 and select OK.
6. Restart the computer.

If you prefer the command line, run this in Terminal or Command Prompt as administrator:

reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System" /v DisableAcrylicBackgroundOnLogon /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

To undo the change, set the value to 0 or delete it. Back up the key (File > Export) before editing if you are unsure.

Which method should you use?

Use Group Policy or the registry value if you only want a sharp sign-in screen, and use the Transparency effects toggle if you also want the rest of Windows to look flat or need a change without admin rights.

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. All three methods still work on it, but the steps above are written for Windows 11 first.

How to change or hide the Windows login screen picture

The picture on the Windows login screen is your lock screen background, and you control it under Settings > Personalization > Lock screen. Removing the blur only makes that picture visible; it does not change which picture appears.

1. Open Settings > Personalization > Lock screen.
2. Under "Personalize your lock screen", choose Windows spotlight (rotating Microsoft images), Picture (your own image) or Slideshow (a folder of images).
3. To hide the image on the sign-in screen entirely, turn off "Show the lock screen background picture on the sign-in screen". The sign-in screen then no longer shows a background image.

Microsoft documents these options on its Customize the lock screen support page. With your own picture selected and the clear logon background enabled, the sign-in screen shows exactly the image you chose, without blur.

FAQ

Related: make Windows 11 look like classic Windows, manage Windows user accounts with net user, set up Windows with a local account