Microsoft launches passkey support for all consumer accounts

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Microsoft is fully rolling out passkey support for all consumer accounts today. After enabling them in Windows 11 last year, Microsoft account owners can also now generate passkeys across Windows, Android, and iOS. This makes it effortless to sign in to a Microsoft account without having to type a password in every time.

You can create passkeys for your Microsoft account by following this link, and you can choose your face, fingerprint, PIN, or a security key to use a device to sign in with a passkey.

Image: Microsoft
How passkeys work when you sign in to a Microsoft account.

“Today, you can use a passkey to sign in to Microsoft apps and websites, including Microsoft 365 and Copilot on desktop and mobile browsers,” explains Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president of Microsoft security, compliance, and identity. “Support for signing into mobile versions of Microsoft applications using your passkey will follow in the coming weeks.”

Passkeys represent a big milestone in Microsoft’s efforts to push toward a passwordless future. Microsoft first introduced Windows Hello authentication with Windows 10 in 2015, allowing you to sign in to a PC with your face, fingerprint, or via a PIN. Microsoft then started supporting FIDO security keys in April 2018 before adding a fully passwordless option for Microsoft accounts in 2021.

Passkeys have now become the industry norm, adopted by Apple, Google, Microsoft, and others. Over 400 million Google accounts have used passkeys so far, demonstrating that they’re a popular alternative to having to use a password to sign in everywhere.