Windows PCs and mini PCs

Any Windows 10 or 11 computer can be a player, including small "mini PCs". The SignBlink app for Windows opens full screen each time Windows starts, on the display you choose. It keeps the display awake, plays sound, recovers by itself after a crash or network drop, takes real screenshots and keeps itself up to date. A computer with two displays can run a SignBlink screen on each.

#What you need

• A Windows 10 or 11 computer or mini PC, and an HDMI cable.
• Ideally a Windows account just for the screen, with a password you keep somewhere safe.

#1. Sign in automatically

So the computer goes straight to SignBlink after a restart:

1. On Windows 11: go to Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options and turn off "For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in…".
2. Press Win + R, type netplwiz and press Enter. Untick "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer", select Apply, and enter the account's password.

#2. Install SignBlink

1. On the computer, open signblink.com/windows in Edge or any browser. The installer, SignBlinkSetup.exe, downloads.
2. Open it. If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", choose More info → Run anyway. Windows shows this for apps it hasn't seen much yet.

#3. Connect it

1. SignBlink opens full screen and shows a 6-character code. Enter it under Screens → Add screen.
2. On a computer with more than one display, choose the display on the screen's Player tab.

#4. Keep updates out of business hours

Go to Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Active hours and set them to your opening hours, so Windows restarts overnight. SignBlink comes back by itself afterwards.

#Using the app

• Options: press Esc twice on the screen, or click the SignBlink icon by the clock. From there you can choose the display, reload, add a screen for another display, and turn Start with Windows on or off.
• Two displays, two screens: choose Add a screen for another display in SignBlink's options. It opens on the other display with its own code, and you add it as a second screen.
• Power cuts: in the computer's BIOS/UEFI settings, look for "Restore on AC power loss: Power on" so it starts by itself. Most mini PCs have it.
• Sound: click the speaker icon in the taskbar and pick the TV (HDMI) as the output.

#If something isn't right

There's no "Run anyway" button, or Windows blocks the installer. The computer only allows apps Windows already trusts (Smart App Control, or your company's settings). Use the one-line launcher instead: open PowerShell from the Start menu and paste irm https://signblink.com/windows | iex. It opens SignBlink full screen in Microsoft Edge.

SignBlink opened on the wrong display. Choose the right one on the screen's Player tab, or press Esc twice on the screen and pick the display there.

It stops at the Windows sign-in screen after a restart. Automatic sign-in isn't on. Repeat step 1, and make sure the password you typed was right.

How do I close or remove it? To close it for now, choose Close SignBlink in its options; it opens again at the next sign-in. To remove it, go to Settings → Apps → Installed apps, find SignBlink and choose Uninstall.