If you configure your Ubuntu Linux machine to “Auto-Login” (so it boots straight to the desktop without asking for a password), you will encounter a highly annoying side effect. The moment you open the Google Chrome browser or an email client, a pop-up window violently interrupts you, demanding: “Enter password to unlock your login keyring.”
The “Keyring” is a secure vault where Ubuntu stores your saved Wi-Fi passwords and browser cookies. Because you auto-logged in, the system never received your actual password to unlock the vault. This defeats the entire purpose of auto-login, as you are still forced to type your password every single time you boot up. If you are using a desktop PC in a secure home environment, you can bypass this hardware encryption lock entirely.
How to Safely Bypass the Ubuntu Keyring Password Prompt
You must change the master password of the “login” keyring to a completely blank string.
Warning: This completely disables the encryption on your saved passwords. Anyone who steals your physical hard drive will be able to read your saved Wi-Fi and browser passwords. Only do this on a secure, stationary home desktop computer.
- Click the Activities button in the top-left corner of your Ubuntu desktop (or press the Windows/Super key).
- Type Passwords and Keys in the search bar and open the application (it is often called ‘Seahorse’ internally).
- In the left-hand sidebar, look under the “Passwords” section. You will see a folder named Login (it may have a small padlock icon next to it).
- Right-click the Login folder and select Change Password.
- The system will first ask you to type your Old Password (your current computer login password). Type it and click Continue.
- Now, it will ask you for a New Password. Do not type anything. Leave both the ‘New Password’ and ‘Confirm Password’ boxes completely blank.
- Click the Continue button.
- Ubuntu will throw a severe warning stating that passwords will be stored unencrypted. Click the Continue button to confirm you want to proceed.
You have successfully bypassed the encryption requirement. The next time you boot your computer and auto-login, you can open Google Chrome immediately. The Keyring will unlock silently in the background, and the annoying prompt will never appear again.