Microsoft Supports Passwordless Sign-In on Windows, Android, and iOS

All users can now sign in to their Microsoft account using a pass-key across Windows, Androids, and iOS. This change will make it easier for users to sign in to their Microsoft account without entering a password.

Users can now create a password for their Microsoft account with the option of facial security, fingerprint, PIN, or security key to use to sign in with another device.

“You can already use a passcode to sign in to Microsoft apps and websites, including Microsoft 365 and Copilot, on desktop and mobile browsers,” said Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president of security and compliance. “In the coming weeks, we will roll out mobile app sign-in with a passcode.”

Passkeys are a major part of Microsoft’s push toward a password-free future. The software giant first introduced facial, fingerprint, or PIN authentication with Windows Hello on its Win 10 operating system in 2015. The company then expanded support for FIDO security keys in April 2018, before moving toward a completely password-free option for Microsoft accounts in 2021.

Passkey is developed based on the WebAuthentication (WebAuthn) standard, which is essentially a "public key - private key" asymmetric encryption method used in blockchains. In which, one key is stored by the website or service where the account is located and a private key is stored on the user's device used to verify identity.

For example, users can log into their Gmail, PayPal, or iCloud accounts simply by activating Face ID on an iPhone, an Android phone's fingerprint sensor, or using Windows Hello on a PC.

Pass-key is becoming the industry standard, adopted by Apple, Google, Microsoft and other tech companies. To date, more than 400 million Google accounts are using this login method.

In general, passkey will help prevent the risk of fraud and password theft. Passkey keeps the private key on the device so it cannot be leaked on the network environment.

Additionally, in case of device damage or loss, users can still log in because the passcode works with many different devices. At the same time, the passcode support services will also re-authenticate the phone number or email address or hardware security key (if available).