Windows 10: Do I need a yubikey to have my passkey for my Microsoft account

Obviously no expert, but because Microsoft appears to be going passwordless, I just created a passkey for my Microsoft account. It works fine from my password manager and I can login to my account from my iPhone. I use the same password manager on my Windows 11 laptop, so I figure it will work there also. Is it necessary to save the passkey on an external device such as a yubikey in case I have to reinstall Windows? If not, how would I login to my Microsoft account without an external key? I’m asking because I thought on reinstall, Windows asks for your Microsoft account login and my password

:)

 

When I register my yubo yubikey on my windows laptop don't I have to use the yubikey on my computer.

Hi, Howard_35_78

Welcome to the MicroSoft Community.



Yes, you must first register your YubiKey with your Outlook.com account, irrespective of whether you are using a local or an administrator account on your computer. Here’s how you can set it up:

1. Enable Two-Step Verification:
   
   • Log into your Outlook.com account.
     
   • Go to ‘Security Settings’ and enable ‘Two-step Verification’.
     
2. Add YubiKey as a Security Key:
   
   • In the ‘Security Basics’ page, click on ‘More Security Options’.
     
   • Under the ‘Windows Hello and Security Keys’ section, click on ‘Set up a Security key’.
     
   • Follow the prompts to add your YubiKey as a security key.
     

After these steps, you can use your YubiKey to authenticate yourself when logging into your Outlook.com account from any computer. When you insert your YubiKey into a USB port and touch the button on the YubiKey, it generates a one-time password to authenticate your login. This means that you don’t have to remember a password, making your account more secure against phishing and other attacks.

The YubiKey 5C NFC works with both local and administrator accounts and can be used to secure a wide range of online services that support FIDO U2F or FIDO2 protocols, including Microsoft accounts. Remember, it’s always recommended to have a backup login method (like a secondary email, phone number, or another security key) in case you lose your YubiKey.



If there is anything not clear or I can't understand your problem, please do not hesitate to let me know.



Best Regards

Martin | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

Passkey setup on Email?

I’m a bit confused about creating a Passkey on a Google account. I managed to create one on my Yubikey security key and then I turned on the Skip Password when Possible setting logged out then logged back in and I selected Try Another Method. I selected password entered my password and I was successfully logged on. The Passkey option works when I tapped my yubikey against my iPhone. But what really worries me, is that Try Another option with password as I was able to login without asking for the yubikey. Do I also need to turn on 2FA? I thought the whole point of using a Passkey is to avoid using 2FA and just expected to login only with my yubikey without a password EVEN without using the password method when selecting the Try Another option which it seems to have the option to fall back to using a password. I’m confused… If I’m not in the correct place to ask this question then please direct me to the right place.