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Windows Hello: sign-in that’s easy, fast and secure

Sign in to Windows, websites, and applications with a glance, a touch, or a PIN — no passwords.
Background of caverns with a user picture and sign in options

Passwords are the past

Passwords slow people down and remain one of the easiest ways for attackers to get in.

Windows Hello makes signing in feel instant and effortless, replacing passwords with device-specific protection built around you.

Meet Windows Hello

Windows Hello makes signing in feel instant and effortless, with a glance, touch, or PIN. Windows Hello provides device protection tied to you:

 The image depicts a simple, blue silhouette of a smiling face. AI-generated content may be incorrect. Facial recognition

🫆 Fingerprint scan

🔢 PIN – local to your device

Secure by design

Windows Hello shifts sign-in from reusable passwords to protection tied to your device:

  • Your biometric data and PIN stay on your device, protected by hardware, not shared with Microsoft or anyone else.

  • No password required, reducing the risk of phishing and stolen credentials.

Sign in across apps and websites - no password required

Windows Hello doesn't just unlock your PC. Windows Hello helps you move beyond passwords across apps and websites with passkeys that make sign-in faster, simpler, and resistant to phishing. The same trusted sign-in experience extends beyond your PC, including sign-in to many of your favorite websites and applications.

Learn more: Passkeys for Security | Microsoft Windows

Getting started takes about two minutes

Follow these steps to set up Windows Hello:

1. Select Start 🪟 > Settings⚙️> Accounts 👤 > Sign-in options 🔑

2. Under Ways to sign in, you'll see three choices to sign in with Windows Hello:

  • Select Facial recognition (Windows Hello) to set up facial recognition sign-in with your PC's infrared camera or an external infrared camera. 

  • Select Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello) to set up sign-in with a fingerprint reader.

  • Select PIN (Windows Hello) to set up sign-in with a PIN.

Frequently asked Windows Hello questions

  • Windows Hello helps protect your identity by keeping sign-in tied to your device and your presence, not a reusable password that can be stolen.

    Your biometric data stays on your device and isn’t stored on Microsoft servers. Because this data never leaves your PC and is never collected by our servers, these credentials cannot be used by anyone who does not have physical access to your device, protecting you from typical replay, phishing, spoofing, and other network attacks, including password leaks.

  • Windows Hello ties sign-in to your device and identity helping protect against stolen or reused passwords being used elsewhere. Even if someone has your PC, they still need your face, fingerprint, or PIN to sign in. Your credentials are securely stored on the device and protected by hardware.

    You can still recover your Microsoft account from another device.

  • No. Your biometric data stays only on your device and is never uploaded to Microsoft's servers.

  • Windows Hello is designed to verify that it’s really you, not just an image of you.

    Infrared sensing helps protect against photo and video spoofing attempts.

  • You can still use Windows Hello with a device-specific PIN, available on every Windows PC.

    Your PIN is local to your device, helping protect against password theft and phishing.

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