One of the features that Microsoft sold the most when launching Windows 10 was the high level of security of the operating system. Specifically when it comes to logging in, offering several ways to do it in a secure way, from using the usual password to doing it with a numerical PIN, a fingerprint, patterns in a photo or through facial recognition. All of these login options are grouped together under what is called ” Windows Hello “.
Windows Hello is the system in charge of introducing new authentication systems within Windows 10 . In order to offer a fast, secure and password-free login system, Microsoft implemented different login systems in its operating system.
When we install Windows 10, the system asks us to log in with a Microsoft Account. By doing so, this account is linked as the default user account, and your password as the account password. If we have a long and complex password, having to enter it all the time to log in or unlock the PC is quite annoying.
Thanks to Windows Hello , we can create a PIN (also during the installation of the operating system) so that we can log in by entering that PIN with the same security that we would do when doing it with a password. In addition, once logged in, we can also use other biometric systems to log in, such as fingerprint or facial recognition. As long as our PC has the appropriate hardware to use these systems.
Setting it up the first time is easy. However, what happens if we no longer want to use Windows Hello to log in? Next, we explain how to disable this authentication system.
Disable PIN and other Windows Hello authentication systems
These security options are found in the Windows 10 Configuration menu, specifically in the section ” Accounts> Login options “.
What we must do is access this section on our PC, and within ” Manage how you log in to your device “, we will find all the authentication options that Windows Hello offers us.
Microsoft recommends that we use two specifically. The first one is the PIN, since it is much faster to log in than the password, and the second one is the fingerprint, as in mobile phones, as long as our computer has a fingerprint reader .
In case you want to remove the PIN, or any other authentication system, from Windows Hello, what we must do is select this method, and click on the “remove” button that will appear. If we only want to change it, we can do it by clicking “Change”.
We follow the steps that Windows will indicate, and in a few seconds we will have removed the PC PIN . We can repeat this same process for the other Windows Hello authentication systems, such as fingerprint, facial recognition or password by image.
The only one that will ask us for additional steps to eliminate it is the security key, which must be found inside a USB memory that, to deactivate it, will ask us for the password of our Microsoft Account.
What if I want to log in automatically?
Unless we create a local account in Windows 10 , the operating system will not let us remove the password from our PC. We can easily change it, but our Microsoft Account will also be changed, something that we must always keep in mind.
However, there is a small “trick” that will allow us to use the computer without having to enter the password every time we turn it on. To do this, we must activate the automatic login of Windows 10 so that, when we turn it on, the session opens without having to enter our password.
Of course, we must bear in mind that, if we block the session manually (Windows + L), we will have to enter the password to log in again.