Windows 10: Enable Fingerprint Sign In Without PIN Sign In (Windows Hello)

So I just reinstalled Windows 10 on my machine.

Before I had it set up so that I could log in with a password or fingerprint.

Now it seems my only options are (1) password only OR (2) password, PIN or fingerprint.

I don't want PIN as a sign in option. But I have to enable PIN via "Windows Hello" before enabling Fingerprint sign in.

And once I have fingerprint sign in enabled, if I remove the PIN I lose both PIN and fingerprint sign in options.

Any ideas how I can set up password and fingerprint as my only two sign in options?

:)

 

Fingerprint reader doesn't work

If it's in domain you need to enable PIN in gpo, or in local polices (gpedit.msc):

Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Administrative Templates -> System -> Logon ->
Turn On Pin Sign-in = Enabled

After that Windows Hello/PIN/Fingerprint auth it's available

 

iam not able to make pin to my windows hello

iam not able to sign to windows hello with pin so iam not able to put my fingerprint as a sign in option

 

I don't think you can , the PIN is a backup in-case the fingerprint fails.

 

A pin is required for biometrics .. the becomes your password. A pin is actually more secure than a password.
It might seem less secure, but it is only stored on the machine and has additional safety checks. Basically, the Pin is the mechanism for any authentication (password, fingerprint, iris scan, face recognition ...).

To answer your question: not currently,
perhaps in the Anniversary release 29 July - but I wouldn't count on it.

 

Once again it seems the answer is #!%* Microsoft!

I was running Windows 10 with no pin and fingerprints before I reinstalled Windows 10. Perhaps that was because I had that set up on Win 8.1 before upgrading to Windows 10.

I'm not a security expert but I don't think a PIN is more secure as Microsoft only allows numbers in the PIN.

Therefore each character of a PIN has 10 possibilities. So a 10 character pin has 10^10 possible outcomes.

In contrast a 10 character password has 10^62 possibilities (26 lowercase, 26 uppercase, 10 digits). And I'm not even counting special characters because I'm not sure how many there are. So the real number is probably more like 10^75 which is massively larger than 10^10.

My password is long and mixes many character types. To get the same complexity from a PIN as I do from my password I'd probably need a PIN of 200+ characters.

Anyways, appreciate the reply.

 

It must have been the upgrade that carried over your biometrics.

I've been testing Win10 for nearly 2 years and only in the early days of the Tech preview did my fingerprint reader work without a PIN. It was far worse in the 1st few weeks (months?) with Hello - you had to sign-in with an MS account to be able to get a PIN - if you signed in with a Local account, you couldn't use the fingerprint reader!

Now you just set the PIN and you can create your fingerprint record(s) ad it works with a Local account.

Once MS introduced Hello a PIN was required for alternative authentication.

Sure you can do the math on a 4-digit pin ... but that not how a PIN works.
Windows Hello and privacy: FAQ - Microsoft Windows


Microsoft Passport overview (Windows 10)
Microsoft Passport guide (Windows 10)
Manage identity verification using Microsoft Passport (Windows 10)
Why a PIN is better than a password (Windows 10)

To get the same complexity from a PIN ... you'd have to tie the pin to the device and the Trusted Platform Module; pass the authentication measures of PassPort technologies, add some form of user authentication (gesture, fingerprint, iris, face recognition .... )

but that can't be as secure as a sophisticated open text password, eh? *Wink
- just having a bit of fun with this ... because I hated it too ... at first until the 'fixed' it and then I looked it up.

Bill
.

 

I took a look at some of the articles. I didn't study them. But I think I get the gist of what MSFT is saying.

And I'm sure the tech is super cool - how its local to the hardware and all that.

But why do they only let me use numbers in my PIN?!?

Whether you want to call it a "password" or a "PIN" or a "hippopotamus" I don't believe that a numeric-only sting can be more secure than a similar length string that contains uppercase, lowercase, numbers and characters.

And it's easier to remember strings that contain a mix of character types because you can use them to tell a story and in doing so create long, complex, easy to remember passwords / PINs / hippos.

One of the articles you linked says "A PIN can be a set of numbers, but enterprise policy might allow complex PINs that include special characters and letters, both upper-case and lower-case. Something like t758A! could be an account password or a complex Passport PIN."

But I see no such option on my Windows Hello *Sad

 

Hi, I solved this problem with a rather genius hack
first, do *Start + R
type gpedit.msc
go to Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Hello For Business
Open the folder titled PIN Complexity
Edit anything you need depending on your password needs, for example, you can require numb3rs, UPPERCASE or lowercase letters, and even $pec!@l characters.
Then remove your password, and enroll with a pin.
You will be able to use a pin with letters, numbers, and characters, just like a regular password.

Hope this helps

-Jerry

"Windows 10 sucks. Get UNIX, wherever floppy disks are sold."