Thanks to Windows Hello we will be able to use a long, robust and complex password to protect our Microsoft Account while we can quickly sign in to Windowssecurely, without having to type that complex password.
This security feature allows us to log into Windows using two types of authentication systems. The first of these is through custom key systems or patterns:
- PIN: allows us to establish a numeric PIN to use instead of our password.
- Password: Allows you to use your Microsoft account key to sign in.
- picture password: configure an image and, by clicking on a specific point on it, you will be logged in.
The second of the methods to log in to Windows is through biometric systems or double authentication. Here we can choose:
- Face: with a compatible camera we can use our face to automatically log in.
- Fingerprint: if we have a fingerprint reader we can use our finger to log in, just like to unlock the mobile.
- Security key: With a FIDO or compatible key, we can use it to log in. Without the key connected to the USB port the computer will be blocked.
Windows Hello was initially introduced as a Windows feature, but today many applications make use of it to authenticate the user. Google Chrome, for example, it allows us to authenticate with Hello to access our saved passwords or to pay without having to enter any other password or key. Dropbox and OneDrive also support this security feature.
Requirements to use this security feature
Windows Hello has been available since the first version of Windows 10, although at first it was only available for the United States. With the following updates of the operating system, this function was reaching other users until, today, 100% of the users of the operating system have Windows Hello available to use it. Therefore, to be sure, the first thing we must make sure is have the latest update installed of the operating system with all the patches released to date.
In addition, what Windows Hello seeks is to help us log in securely without using the Microsoft Account password. Therefore, another requirement to use this security feature is to have a Microsoft account, not a local account.
To use the authentication systems by PIN or image we do not need anything else. However, if we want to use the other biometric authentication systems, it is necessary to have additional hardware. For example, for unlock our computer with fingerprint We must have a fingerprint reader. Modern laptops usually have one included by default. And if we don’t have one, we can buy one on Amazon at a fairly good price.
Similarly, if we want to use facial recognition we will need a webcam compatible with this function. Not any camera will work because, for detection to be accurate and reliable, we need the camera to have a system infrared. These cameras are somewhat more expensive than the fingerprint reader, although some relatively new laptops usually already have an on-screen camera compatible with this technology.
And finally, if we are going to use security keys to authenticate to the computer, we also need to have a key with certificates and trusted protocols, such as a key FIDO.
How to set up Windows Hello
Of all the security options that Windows Hello offers us, we can activate all that we want. So we can use at all times the one that is most comfortable or fastest for us. What does force Windows Hello before using any other authentication system is to set a PIN. Thus, if the other systems (for example, the fingerprint or the webcam) do not work, we can always access the computer using said PIN.
To enter the Windows Hello configuration, what we must do is open the menu Setting Windows (Windows + I keyboard shortcut), and go to the section accounts > login options. The section is the same in both Windows 10 and Windows 11, only changing the appearance of this configuration panel.
Here we can configure each of the login options that Windows Hello offers us.
set PIN
The PIN is the standard Windows Hello authentication system. It allows us to replace having to enter the password every time we log in with a much faster and more convenient numeric (or alphanumeric) PIN.
We will select the option to configure a PIN to log in and the wizard will guide us through the steps that we must complete. Basically what we have to do is enter the PIN in the box that appears, and repeat it in the lower box. If we want to use letters or symbols we will have to check the box that appears below the boxes for the PIN.
When we enter the PIN, our Windows will already be protected with it.
set up facial recognition
In case of having a compatible camera we will be able to use this authentication system. All we have to do is select this option within the Windows Hello configuration and start with the wizard that will guide us to implement this security measure.
After asking us for our password (or the PIN if we have already activated it before), the camera will connect and ask us to stare at it for a few seconds. We have to keep our face inside the box that will appear on the screen until it finishes recognizing us. It is essential to have good lighting when configuring this feature to avoid recognition errors.
When we finish we will have this function configured and Windows will be able to recognize us through its “eye” without us having to do anything. If we do not have the PIN configured, we will have to configure it before closing the wizard, for security.
set up fingerprint
The fingerprint is another of the most comfortable authentication systems that we can configure in Windows. If we have a fingerprint reader, all we have to do is select the option to configure it from the Windows Hello options menu.
After authenticating with the PIN (or password, if we have not yet configured the PIN), we simply have to follow the steps that appear on the screen to configure our finger. It’s basically a matter of placing and removing your finger on the reader, and moving it around, until you fully recognize it.
When it is finished, as with the webcam, it will force us to configure a PIN if we have not done so before. And we can start logging in using the Windows 10 fingerprint reader. Also indicate that we can add the fingerprints we want, something useful if, for example, we share the computer with other trusted people.
set security key
If we want to use a security key to log in to Windows, we can also configure it from this Windows Hello section. All we have to do to do this is choose this authentication system, connect the security key to a USB port on our PC and follow the steps that the wizard will show us.
When the process is finished we can use this USB key to log in instead of a PIN, password or any other biometric system.
set password
This option is not an authentication method as such, but allows us to easily change the password of our Microsoft Account, and with it, the Windows user password.
Set Image Password
Finally, this authentication system allows us to use an image so that, depending on some patterns, we can unlock the PC without using a password. To do this, what we must do is select this option within the Windows Hello menu and configure the pattern that we want to carry out. We can leave the default Windows photo or choose any image that we have saved on the computer.
This method is not one of the safest, but it is very comfortable if we have a touch screen on our computer.
How to remove the Windows PIN (turn off Windows Hello)
In the event that after a while we do not want to continue using these authentication systems and we want to return to the usual username and password, Windows allows us to turn off all these Windows Hello options easily.
What we must do to do this is return to the login options section (Settings> Accounts> Login options) and choose the element that we want to deactivate.
Windows will ask us to enter the PIN (in the case of deactivating the biometric systems) or the Microsoft Account password (in the event that what we are removing is the PIN) to prove that it is us and, very important, that we we remember her
When we finish, the PIN, the fingerprint or the element that we have said to remove will be deactivated. We can check it by pressing Windows + L to block the session and checking the available authentication systems.
With Windows Hello, using Windows 10 and Windows 11 safely is easier than ever.
Errors that we can find in Windows Hello
Despite all the usefulness that this functionality offers to millions of users, that does not mean that it is infallible when it comes to using it. We can find some operating errors that could give us more than one headache. Some of these are what we are going to expose below so that you can solve them in the best possible way.
Windows Hello setup doesn’t work with third-party apps
It may be the case that when trying to reset the Windows Hello facial recognition settings this suddenly does not work. To solve what happens to you when using Windows Hello on compatible third-party platforms or programs, we open Settings in Windows again. Here we go to Accounts / Login options and in the right panel we opt for Face of windows hello.
Then we select the Configure button and cancel the configuration process by selecting X in the upper right corner of the preview window. At that moment the system returns us to the page of Setting where we select the same option as before, again. But now instead of the photo preview window, we’ll see a blank page, or a black one, telling us that if we can’t cancel and reset the facial recognition setup, then follow the instructions below.
Then we close this and restart the configuration process by clicking again on the X in the upper right corner or by pressing Alt+F4. At that moment the camera indicators will turn off, so we only have to reconfigure the facial identification, again and from scratch.
This option is not currently available
This is another of the most common problems that we can find when trying to configure these functions of…