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 flexibility 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 latest blog post, Microsoft introduced that new accounts shall 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 quite than a password. This implies new Microsoft accounts won’t ever have to have a password, if the consumer so chooses.

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

What’s a passkey?

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

Microsoft / Pocket-lint

Passkeys make it more durable 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their Microsoft account utilizing their face, fingerprint, or PIN on their private machine as a substitute of a daily outdated password.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 shopper Microsoft accounts final yr.

To arrange a passkey to your Microsoft account, go to Account Settings > Safety > Add a brand new solution to sign up or confirm. You may as well 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 mentioned, whereas boldly proclaiming World Password Day as “World Passkey Day” as a substitute. Whereas it might be awhile earlier than passwords all over the place are gone for good, it is a main transfer by a tech firm to remove passwords altogether. In all equity, your password cannot get stolen if it does not exist within the first place.

If you wish to study password safety, and one of the best methods to maintain your units 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 learn the way Pocket-lint’s specialists maintain their accounts safe.