Technology in terms you understand. Sign up for the Confident Computing newsletter for weekly solutions to make your life easier. Click here and get The Ask Leo! Guide to Staying Safe on the Internet — FREE Edition as my thank you for subscribing!

Tip of the Day: Sign in With a PIN (or Not)

PIN Sign-In

I’m loving signing into Windows 10 with a PIN. It’s fast and it’s easy …

… and it’s optional, even after you set it up.

Use Windows Search to search for “PIN” — “Setup PIN sign-in” will be one of the top results. Click on that to open the “Sign-in options” page in the Settings app. Scroll down a little and you’ll see PIN; click on the Add button to see this dialog.

Set up a PIN

Just like setting a new password, enter the PIN twice and you’re done. PINs can be of arbitrary length. You can make them the rough equivalent to passwords if you care to, by making them longer than your normal password. (Many people find that a longer PIN is still easier and faster to type than a traditional password.)

When you log in to your machine, you can use either. Just below the password box on the Windows sign-in screen will be “Sign-in options”.

Sign-in Options

This allows you to select between using your PIN entry or your existing password to sign in to your machine. Using a PIN doesn’t even require you to hit ENTER; as soon as the PIN is completely typed, sign-in happens.

Concerned about security? Microsoft explains Why a PIN is better than a password.

Related Video

2 comments on “Tip of the Day: Sign in With a PIN (or Not)”

    • Another reason for using a PIN. I have a Windows Tablet with a full installation of Windows 10. The PIN makes it much easier to log in.

      Reply

Leave a reply:

Before commenting please:

  • Read the article.
  • Comment on the article.
  • No personal information.
  • No spam.

Comments violating those rules will be removed. Comments that don't add value will be removed, including off-topic or content-free comments, or comments that look even a little bit like spam. All comments containing links and certain keywords will be moderated before publication.

I want comments to be valuable for everyone, including those who come later and take the time to read.