Sign-in to Windows 10 with password-less accounts

Microsoft introduced an option in the most recent Windows 10 Home Insider Build to sign-in to Windows with password-less accounts.
Today, we’re announcing support for setting up and signing in to Windows with a phone number account, without having to create, or deal with the hassle of a password!
Passwords are certainly one of the Achilles Heels of account security; a recent study of leaked passwords in 2018 showed that Internet users still use pretty much the same insecure passwords that they used five years ago.
Weak passwords are not only the user's fault; companies shy away from imposing too restrictive password setting rules.
Users who sign up for a Microsoft Account need to assign a password to it. While it is theoretically possible to create a local Windows account without a password and even configure Windows for automatic login, all Windows accounts that are Microsoft Accounts require a password as well; this may change with Windows 10 version 1903 as Microsoft introduced a new option to recent Insider Builds.
Password Less sign-in
One option that Windows 10 users have in the future is to sign-in to Windows using different means. Authentication is still required considering that it identifies whether the user is authorized to sign-in.
Instead of using a password to set up an account on a Windows device, users may create an account using a mobile phone if they have linked it to a Microsoft Account.
Windows would send a SMS code to the linked device which the user would then use to sign-in and create the account. The user would then have to use another sign-in method to access the account going forward.
Microsoft notes that the user may use Facial, Fingerprint, or PIN identification to sign-in to the account.
The process may take away the need to set up an account password but it does not do away with the authentication process itself. Depending on the device, all that is available is PIN authentication.
Windows 10 users may assign a PIN to an account to sign-in to the account; a PIN may even be a requirement if you create a new account on a Windows 10 device.
Right now, it is necessary to create a password-less phone number account in a mobile application such as Word. Users just need to type the phone number and follow instructions to create such an account.
On Windows 10, users would have to add the account under Settings > Accounts > Family & other Users > Add someone else to this PC to add the "new" account to the device.
The phone number account should be selectable during sign-in or user switching at this point in time. The user would have to select "sign-in options" and there Sign-in on the PIN tile. This launches the Windows Hello setup to set up one of the required authentication options for the account.
Closing Words
Setup is not straightforward at this point in time; some might say it is complicated. A regular account is required at this point in time to set up Windows on a device. Consecutive accounts can be password-less provided that the user has a mobile device and linked it to a Microsoft Account.
The user would still have to remember a PIN and use it to sign in if Face or Fingerprint authentication is not available on the device.
It remains to be seen if the process is optimized in future builds.
Now You: What is your take on password-less sign-ins?


What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help