The âWindows Logon Applicationâ is just one of those processes that you always see in your taskbar.Â
Users normally donât even notice it because there are quite a lot of system processes that are running in the background, most of the processes deal with simple yet important things.
The executable file or process is called winlogon.exe and Iâll be using it a lot instead of the longer name.
You might be wondering what the application is and what it does, maybe due to fears about viruses or high CPU usage errors. Donât worry, Iâll explain what you need to do about it below.
What Is The âWindows Logon Applicationâ?
The application above is a component of your Windows OS. It is responsible for one of the most important processes in your system. The Windows Sign-in feature.
Iâm sure you can already picture what will happen if the winlogon.exe process fails. You wonât be able to sign in and thatâs rendering your system useless.
What Does The âWindows Logon Applicationâ Do?
Iâve mentioned exactly what feature or system setting uses the winlogon.exe process but I havenât totally explained how it works.Â
I will explain how it works using the three main processes the winlogon.exe process performs.Â
1. Maintaining Secure Logins To Windows
This is one of the most important tasks because sometimes some hackers can monitor our sign-in details using a false Windows login page or maybe through a program spying on our sign-ins.Â
The winlogon.exe process helps ensure we have a secure login to Windows. To ensure youâre on a secure login, use the shortcut keys (Ctrl + Alt + Delete).
The shortcut keys are also aptly named the âSecure Attention Sequenceâ.Â
What happens is that when you use the sequence above, winlogon.exe will recognize it (because it is responsible for detecting it) and ensure your login is secure.Â
In other words, you never have to fear again about your login details being monitored as long as you use the secure attention sequence before inputting your details in the Windows login menu.
2. Loading User Profile Into The Registry
This is another vital process that you canât do without on your system. Especially when youâre trying to sign in to your Windows user profile.
What this winlogon.exe process ensures is that loading your user profile into the registry will make the programs on your system open under the HKEY_CURRENT_USERÂ
This is important because each user profile has different keys and the winlogon.exe process will ensure each user profile maintains its own program(key) settings.Â
3. Monitoring Keyboard & Mouse Activity
The winlogon.exe process is also the process that ensures your screen locks if thereâs no activity after a preset time.Â
In essence, it tracks your keyboard and mouse activity, making sure to lock your system when it feels like youâre not on it based on the fact that there is no input.
This is probably the simplest process it carries out but this is still a very critical part of Windows so it definitely is a key part of your Windows operating system working properly.
How You Can Disable The âWindows Logon Applicationâ And What Happens When You Disable It
Many folks say the winlogon.exe process canât be disabled but technically, it can. The only thing is when you try to disable it, bad things happen.Â
Let me explain further by taking you through the process of disabling it and explaining to you what happens afterward.
Disabling The Winlogon.exe Process
You will have to open your task manager. You can do that by right-clicking the taskbar on your screen and choosing the Task Manager option in the list of options that open.
In the Task Manager, find the process. It will be named âWindows Logon Applicationâ. Select the process and try to end the process.
Immediately you try to end the process, you will get a Windows popup warning you that what youâre about to do will have adverse consequences.
You will be warned that stopping or ending this process will lead to your Windows being unusable and will also lead to it shutting down.
Of course, you can always ignore the warning and continue with ending the process but I strongly advise against that.
What Happens When You End The Process?
If you choose to ignore my warning and your operating systemâs warning and end the task, your screen will go black.
You wonât be able to access anything. Not even the normal shortcut keys (Ctrl + Alt + Delete) will work.Â
Remember which process I said is responsible for it being detected? Yep, youâve just ended that process so thereâs no hope for you except you reboot your system.
What Happens To Your System If The âWindows Logon Applicationâ Does Not Work
Iâm pretty sure by now you realize how important this winlogon.exe process is.Â
The vital job it does in making sure your Windows OS works flawlessly cannot be underestimated.Â
The importance is clearer in its absence.
When the winlogon.exe process isnât launching at startup, your system will display the games blue screen of death error.
The most important tip I can give you is to never disable it, at least the legit (more on that below) process.
Checking If The âWindows Logon Applicationâ Is A Virus
Folks now know that sometimes viruses and spyware sometimes mimic legit applications and processes to avoid detection.Â
This has made many users distrust many of the processes always running on our task manager.Â
So, when users see the winlogon.exe process always running, they might become suspicious and think it might be a virus mimicking a legitimate process.
Chances are, itâs more likely that itâs the legit process youâre seeing on your task manager because it is always running too.Â
But donât take just my word for it. Find out yourself by following the steps below.
Finding Out By Checking The File Path
You can always find out if the winlogon.exe process running on your task manager is the legit process.Â
All you have to do is open your task manager (as explained above) and find the process. Remember that it is named âWindows Logon Applicationâ.Â
When you right-click on the process, choose Open File Location in the list of options that appear.Â
If the location matches the one Iâm giving below, you can rest assured that the process you selected is a legitimate process. You should not try to disable or end the process.
C:\Windows\System32
As long as the directory is the same as the one above, youâre good to go.Â
However, if the file directory is not the same as the one above, youâre in a bit of a pickle. You definitely have malicious software masquerading as a legitimate process.Â
Your best bet is to immediately use dependable antivirus software to find and clear all malware.Â
What To Do If The âWindows Logon Applicationâ Is Exhibiting High CPU Usage Errors Or Is Infected With Malware
Now that you know the importance of the winlogon.exe and how to check if itâs real, some other situations can occur.
Situations like if the winlogon.exe process is exhibiting high CPU usage error.Â
Like I explained above, if this happens, it is most likely that you have malware on your system masquerading as the legit process.Â
Good antivirus software should rid you of this issue and your CPU usage should go back to normal.
What To Do When Infected With Malware
I have had a few folks tell me about issues they had when malware found its way into the âWindows Logon Applicationâ files.Â
Malware will usually modify or move files, this will make your system display a winlogon.exe error every time you try to log in. (You should know why)
If you donât know why it is because the process responsible for logins (winlogon.exe) is the one now affected by malware.Â
To repair it, you can use your Windows Installation CD alone.Â
Using The Windows Installation CDÂ
Insert the Windows Installation CD into your system and turn it on.Â
Select Enter and youâll enter the Windows Installation Setup menu.
Follow the on-screen instructions to accept the terms and conditions.
Choose the version of Windows youâre installing and then importantly, press the key R.Â
Pressing the key R means your system will be repaired using the files from the installation CD.Â
After the repair is over, your system should restart and you should be able to log in normally now without any issues.Â
ConclusionÂ
The âWindows Logon Applicationâ is one of the core processes in your Windows operating system. It has vital roles in ensuring your OS works properly.
Trying to disable or end the process is ill-advised and youâre only causing more problems for your system.Â
You might think itâs malware but as I explained above, you can find out for sure and take the necessary actions I outlined above.Â
Have you ever had experience with the winlogon.exe process? Iâd like to hear about it and Iâm sure other readers would too.Â
Please use the comments section to share your experiences.