Windows 10: When my account is passwordless, how to change my computer login from PIN to Authenticator...

My account is passwordless, logins except my computer are by MS Authenticator ; how to change my computer login from PIN to Authenticator?https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/how-to-go-passwordless-with-your-microsoft-account-674ce301-3574-4387-a93d-916751764c43

:)

 

How do I authenticate my account without access to Microsoft Authenticator?

The "passwordless" option for personal Microsoft accounts was made available several months ago. I suspect, or at least wonder if, there is an issue within the flow of the Authenticator app that affects the process of trying to login to the app with an account that is (1) configured as a passwordless account and (2) requires two-step verification.

The good news is I realized that I could access all of my account's security settings from my PC (verified with Windows Hello) and from there I turned off the "passwordless account" and "two-step verification" features. Then I was able to successfully log into the Authenticator app again. Crisis averted.

 

Passwordless Sign-in for MS account

On my desktop running Win10, 22H2, OS build 19045.2364 I'm the admin of the local account with no user accts.

While I was reading one of Shawn's excellent tutorial's:
Enable or Disable Passwordless Sign-in for Microsoft Accounts in Windows 10,
I was hoping to find where to disable Passwordless Sign-in for MS accounts.

I have it enabled because the sign-in screen into my Microsoft account lists "other sign-in options" (or something to those words). I also verified in the registry and netplwiz that its enabled.

When selecting other sign-in options, a security key that I set up, first of all, disappeared all by itself recently. The security key is only one of two sign-in options for Passwordless sign-in that I ever set up. The other option was a Windows Hello PIN which I had up until this year but its no longer an option after I removed it myself.

So where the problem comes in is after the authentication option using a security key is re-added, it ends up disappearing after about 24 hours later. When that happens, it leaves zero Passwordless Sign-in options to use (Windows Hello PIN was removed by myself in June). But Passwordless Sign-In will still remain enabled even though I can't sign-in Passwordless with any options. I'm left with signing in by using 2-step verification processes that I've had.

Perhaps this is grasping at straws. I was thinking if there's a switch to disable Passwordless Sign-in to Microsoft Accounts that's turned off first, maybe then the security key can successfully be re-added permanently.

 

Windows Microsoft account authentication

I have a valid Microsoft account and a Windows 10 PC with Hello/PIN account login enabled. I also have the Microsoft Authenticator app installed on an iPhone and configured for the Microsoft account. Additionally, I have two step authentication configured
for the Microsoft account. With all of that said, I have become very exasperated while trying to unravel the various authentication paths (and their security implications) through this multi level login security scheme. I find the associated account security
documentation to be woefully inadequate. Thus, I would like to pose the following list of questions for starters.

1. Does Windows Hello/PIN amount to a two step verification login procedure for my Microsoft account?

2. Does approving a Microsoft Authenticator login attempt (without two step verification explicitly set up)

amount to a two step verification login procedure for my Microsoft account?

3. Does approving a Microsoft Authenticator login attempt (with two step verification explicitly set up)

amount to a two step verification login procedure for my Microsoft account?

4. If answers to both 2 and 3 are yes, then what does explicit set up of two step authentication do?

5. Does a coherent, comprehensive document explaining Microsoft account security configuration exist somewhere?

6. If the answer to 5 is yes, wherer is it?

Thanks in advance.