I have searched for a long time for an answer to this but can't seem to find a way to do it.

We log on to our Windows computers with Smart Cards.  They work fine and there are no issues with them.

However,  I was wondering if there was a way to change the default way of logging on.  When pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del, we are asked for user ID and password, we then have to click on Sign in options and select the smart card icon, then enter our PIN and we log in fine. 

We want to have the default go to the Smart Card log in after pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del rather than user name and password so we don't have to go through the extra steps.  It doesn't seem like it would be that difficult to find a way of doing this, but I'm stumped....

Thanks in advance if someone can find a way of doing this!

Hi rich811,

The main issue is to bypass the process of inputting the password and logon name  access the smart card screen directly, right?
We can try to configure the autologon by modify the registry keys to have a check. Because of the limited work environment, it is not available to test this with smartcard. I hope this will work.
To do this:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon
AutoAdminLogon = 1 (String Value Key) (0 means off, 1 means automatic)
DefaultUserName = Username (String Value Key)
DefaultPassword = Password (String Value Key)
DefaultDomainName = domain.com (String Value Key) (Only needed if this computer has joined a domain)
Reboot
Note:
To bypass AutoAdminLogon, hold down the Shift key as Windows 8.1 initializes.
Here is a link for reference(It should also be applied to Windows 8.1):
How to enable automatic logon in Windows
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/310584

Best r

Hi rich811,

The main issue is to bypass the process of inputting the password and logon name  access the smart card screen directly, right?
We can try to configure the autologon by modify the registry keys to have a check. Because of the limited work environment, it is not available to test this with smartcard. I hope this will work.
To do this:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\winlogon
AutoAdminLogon = 1 (String Value Key) (0 means off, 1 means automatic)
DefaultUserName = Username (String Value Key)
DefaultPassword = Password (String Value Key)
DefaultDomainName = domain.com (String Value Key) (Only needed if this computer has joined a domain)
Reboot
Note:
To bypass AutoAdminLogon, hold down the Shift key as Windows 8.1 initializes.
Here is a link for reference(It should also be applied to Windows 8.1):
How to enable automatic logon in Windows
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/310584

Best r

No, we do not want to automatically log in the administrator or any other user.  When pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del to log in, Windows defaults to asking for a user/password.  We do not log in this way.  We ONLY log in using smartcard/PIN.  We want to have windows start by asking for the smartcard/PIN rather than asking for a user/password. Everything works ok with logging in. 

But we want to cut the extra steps of having to click on sign in options and then the smart card icon, then inputting the PIN for the smart card in.

There should be a way to change the default from user/password to smartcard/PIN, no?

Hi rich811,

There is a group policy we can have a try:
Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\Security Options\Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL

Here is a link for reference:
Interactive logon: Do not require CTRL+ALT+DEL (It should also be applied to Windows 8.1 )
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj852250(v=ws.10).aspx

Considering you are using smart card, there are many other group policies you may be interested in.
Smart Card Group Policy and Registry Settings
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff404287(v=ws.10).aspx

Best regards