passwordless authentication

Microsoft’s step to let Windows users save and synchronize passkeys to their Microsoft Account changes the practical calculus for passwordless security: the company has combined Windows Hello’s local biometric and PIN unlock with a cloud-backed passkey vault (Microsoft Password Manager) so users...

Microsoft's long-standing advice that Windows users should change their passwords every few months has finally been consigned to history — and not a moment too soon. In a revision to the Windows security baselines tied to the Windows 10 v1903 / Windows Server v1903 updates, Microsoft removed the...

Paul Thurrott’s candid Editor’s Desk column is as much about a writer’s struggle with ADHD as it is about a small, messy revolution in Windows 11 authentication — a practical, cross‑vendor push toward passkeys that has forced authors, admins, and everyday users to rethink how they explain...

I switched my Microsoft account from a password to a passkey — and within days the stream of automated sign-in attempts from unfamiliar countries turned into harmless noise because there was nothing left for attackers to guess. Background: why this matters right now Passwords are still the most...

Create a Passwordless Windows 11 Sign-In with Windows Hello (PIN + Fingerprint) Difficulty: Beginner | Time Required: 10 minutes Windows passwords are easy to forget, slow to type, and often reused (which is risky). Windows Hello solves this by letting you sign in with something you have (your...

Windows 11’s passkey story just moved from promising to practical: Microsoft has shipped an OS-level plugin API that lets third‑party password managers register as system passkey providers, and the November 11, 2025 cumulative/security update made the feature broadly available to many Windows 11...

Passkeys are finally moving out of browser silos and into Windows itself, and for Windows 11 users that means a far simpler, more consistent way to create, save, sync and use passkeys — with 1Password among the first third‑party vaults to plug in as a system‑level passkey manager. Background /...

Windows 11 has taken a major step toward a true passwordless desktop by letting third‑party password managers act as system‑level passkey providers — starting with 1Password and Bitwarden — so you can create, store, sync, and use FIDO/WebAuthn passkeys through the vault you already trust while...

Microsoft’s November 2025 security update brings native support for third‑party passkey managers — starting with 1Password (and Bitwarden) — allowing Windows Hello to authenticate using passkeys stored in those apps and marking a major step toward a practical, system‑level passwordless...

Microsoft has moved passkeys out of the browser and into the operating system: with the November 2025 Windows 11 security update the platform now supports third‑party passkey managers as native, system‑level providers, beginning with integrations from 1Password and Bitwarden and with Microsoft’s...

Microsoft has moved passkeys out of the browser and into Windows 11 itself — adding a plugin model that lets third‑party credential managers such as 1Password and Bitwarden register as system‑level passkey providers so users can create, save, sync and use passkeys across apps and browsers with...

Microsoft has rolled out native, system‑level support for third‑party passkey managers in Windows 11 — and with the Windows November 2025 security update the capability is now broadly available, including built‑in integrations for 1Password and an early‑access path for Bitwarden. This change...

Microsoft has begun rolling Windows 11 into a more flexible, passwordless future by adding native support for third‑party passkey providers — notably 1Password and Bitwarden — so those services can act as system-level passkey managers alongside Windows Hello and Microsoft’s own synced passkey...

The Louvre’s security humiliation—reports that a surveillance server could be accessed with the password “LOUVRE”—has turned a sensational daytime robbery of the Galerie d’Apollon into a wider institutional reckoning over museum cybersecurity, procurement failures and the real-world consequences...

Outlook and Microsoft now make it possible to sign in using QR codes — whether you want to add your Outlook account to the mobile app quickly, enable passwordless sign‑ins with Microsoft Authenticator, or pair companion devices with Windows — and understanding the different QR workflows, their...

Windows 11’s quiet, incremental upgrades have a habit of being overshadowed by flashy headlines — and right now the headline magnet is Copilot. But the single most consequential feature added to the OS in recent updates isn’t an AI assistant at all: it’s passkeys — a modern, cryptographic, and...

Microsoft Edge has finally closed one of the most practical gaps in Microsoft’s passwordless push: Edge 142 can now save and sync passkeys into the Microsoft Password Manager so those credentials follow a user across Windows desktop devices tied to the same Microsoft Account. Background Passkeys...

Microsoft Edge 142 can now save and sync passkeys to your Microsoft Account, letting Windows users create, store, and use passwordless credentials across devices protected by a Microsoft Password Manager PIN and Windows Hello authentication. Background Passkeys are a modern, phishing-resistant...

Microsoft’s latest stable update to Edge — version 142 — brings a major step forward for browser-based authentication: Edge can now save and sync passkeys across Windows devices using Microsoft Password Manager, protected by a PIN, and unlocked with Windows Hello. This change takes Microsoft’s...

Windows Hello has quietly moved from a novelty to a practical, everyday security layer for millions of Windows users — fast enough to feel effortless, secure enough that it actually changes how people behave at their desk, and flexible enough to underpin Microsoft’s broader push toward...