Windows 10 lets you log in with a PIN instead of a complex password. Here’s how to enable PIN security in Windows 10.
In addition to the regular password, Windows 10 offers several Windows Hello authentication methods, such as facial recognition, picture password, security key, fingerprint, and PIN, that make signing in easy. While the regular password is a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, a PIN is just a combination of numbers. As you can guess, typing a PIN number is far easier than a complex password. This is especially true if you frequently lock your system (which is a good thing when you are moving away from your computer).
By default, you are prompted to create a PIN while installing Windows 10. However, if you skipped it, you can manually turn ON PIN security via the Settings app. The good thing is that while PINs are much easier to use, they are just as secure as regular passwords. What’s more? When using PIN security, you don’t even have to press the “Enter” button. You’ll be automatically logged in when you enter the correct PIN number. Of course, when needed, you can easily switch to regular password protection right on the login screen.
So, without delay, let me show you the steps to turn on PIN security in Windows 10.
Using Windows 11? Follow this guide instead: Steps to enable Pin in Windows 11
Enable Windows 10 PIN Security
- Press “Win + I” to open the Settings app.
- Go to the “Accounts -> Sign-in Options” page.
- On the right panel, select the “Windows Hello PIN” option.
- Click “Add” in the expanded menu.
- When prompted, type your user account password and click “OK“.
- Type in a new PIN number and click “OK“.
- The PIN must be at least four characters long.
- The PIN should not be a commonly used one, like 12345, 00000, 111111, etc.
- That is it. The Pin is set.
From now on, when you try to log in, Windows 10 will prompt you for the PIN rather than the password. As soon as you enter the PIN, you will be automatically logged in. No need to press the Enter key on your keyboard.
If you want to use your regular password, click on the “Sign-in Options” link under the PIN field on the login screen and select the “Key” icon. This option will allow you to type your regular password to login.
Change PIN Number on Windows 10
To change the PIN, go to the “Accounts” > “Sign-in Options” page in the Settings app, select “Windows Hello PIN“, and click the “Change” button.
Enter your old PIN in the first field, then enter the new PIN in the next two fields, and click “OK“.
Remove PIN Security in Windows 10
To remove PIN security, open the Settings app (Win + I) and go to the “Accounts” > “Sign-in options” page. Here, click the “Windows Hello PIN” option and then click on the “Remove” button.
Authenticate yourself by entering the regular user account password, and Windows will remove the PIN security. If you are wondering, the confirmation before removing the PIN adds an extra layer of security so that other users cannot remove the PIN without proper authorization.
Conclusion
That is it. It is that simple to enable Windows Hello PIN security on Windows 10. Keep in mind that you can enable multiple authentication systems to log into your Windows 10 system. For instance, you can even enable Windows 10 facial recognition and fingerprint authentication along with the PIN.
If you like this article, you might also like to learn how to auto login on Windows 10. Do read and learn from it.
