Microsoft has been slowly but surely trying to do away with old-fashioned passwords for signing into Windows and other services. That included introducing Windows Hello a number of years ago to sign into the Windows OS with facial recognition support or fingerprint support.
Another method for doing away with passwords is the use of passkeys, which require a digital key to be stored on a server, and a more secure key on a device. In May, Microsoft announced that all consumer Microsoft Accounts can now use passkeys instead of passwords for signing into the company's services. They also released a guide for how to save and manage passkeys.
Today, Microsoft announced a new effort to further extend the use of passkeys on Windows devices and services. In a post on the official Windows blog, it announced a new API that will allow third-party companies to add support for their own passkey services in Windows.
Microsoft stated:
Microsoft is partnering closely with 1Password, Bitwarden and others on integrating this capability to provide users with seamless third-party passkey provider integration into Windows 11. You will be able to use the same passkey on Windows 11 that you’ve created on your mobile device, and together we can raise the bar on login security with passkeys.
In addition, Microsoft has redesigned the user interface of Windows Hello for the creation and use of passkeys. That means when you use a Windows PC to go to a website that supports the use of a passkey to sign in, the Windows Hello UI will show you how you can save the passkey to your Microsoft account or via another method. You can then assign how to unlock the passkey via facial recognition, fingerprint or PIN to sign into the site.
Finally, Microsoft is working on a way to sync up your Windows 11 passkey with any of the Windows 11 devices you own so you won't have to have a separate passkey for each Windows 11 device you use. It stated:
Just login to another Windows 11 device with your Microsoft account, complete a one-time setup, and use your synced passkeys across your Windows 11 PCs. You get a simple, seamless, login experience—all you need to do is authenticate with Windows Hello. Your passkeys are secured by end-to-end encryption and protected with the device’s TPM (Trusted Platform Module).
All of these new Windows passkey features and improvements will be made available first for members of the Windows Insider Program before they are made generally available for all Windows 11 users.
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