Microsoft makes passwords a factor of the previous for brand spanking new customers

Microsoft
has been pushing its

passwordless Windows logins
for the previous a number of years, even permitting customers who add passkeys to their accounts the power to delete their passwords now. In recognition of

World Password Day
, Microsoft has taken its next bold step in account security and safety.

In a current blog post, Microsoft introduced that new accounts will likely be “passwordless by default,” which means that customers will as a substitute be prompted to set up a passkey for his or her new account moderately than a password. This implies new Microsoft accounts won’t ever must have a password, if the consumer so chooses.

“Model new Microsoft accounts will now be ‘passwordless by default.’ New customers can have a number of passwordless choices for signing into their account and so they’ll by no means must enroll a password,” Microsoft stated. “Current customers can go to their account settings to delete their password.”

Associated

5 useful Windows 11 features I always enable first on a new PC

Home windows 11 has many alternative settings, however these are those I all the time allow first to boost my expertise.

What’s a passkey?

You should utilize biometrics to entry your account as a substitute of a password

Microsoft / Pocket-lint

Passkeys make it tougher for dangerous actors to steal your account’s password, because the password does not exist within the first place to steal. Passkeys let customers sign up to their Microsoft account utilizing their face, fingerprint, or PIN on their private machine as a substitute of a daily outdated password. Passkeys launched for all client Microsoft accounts final 12 months.

To arrange a passkey on your Microsoft account, go to Account Settings > Safety > Add a brand new option to sign up or confirm. You can even obtain the Microsoft Autheticator app in your cell machine to arrange a passkey from there, in addition to push notifications to sign up to your Microsoft account as a substitute of a password.

“Though passwords have been round for hundreds of years, we hope their reign over our on-line world is ending,” Microsoft stated, whereas boldly proclaiming World Password Day as “World Passkey Day” as a substitute. Whereas it might be awhile earlier than passwords in every single place are gone for good, it is a main transfer by a tech firm to get rid of passwords altogether. In all equity, your password cannot get stolen if it does not exist within the first place.

If you wish to find out about password safety, and one of the best methods to maintain your gadgets and accounts safe on-line, try all of Pocket-lint’s World Password Week stories.

Associated

Welcome to World Password Week 2025: learn how to better secure your accounts

All through the subsequent few days, you will hear find out how Pocket-lint’s specialists maintain their accounts safe.