How to add a login PIN on Windows 10

If you use a password to sign in to Windows 10, you should add a PIN for quicker and more secure access to your account. If you’re running Windows 10, you probably sign in using a Microsoft account, but entering a long and complex password can be troublesome, when you can just use a PIN.

A PIN is not only shorter and easier authentication method to login, but in many ways it’s more secure than a password. Perhaps one of the biggest differences between a PIN and a password is that a PIN is tied to a device. If someone steals your PIN, it’ll be useless unless the thief has physical access to the device.

Also, because you have to set a PIN per device, if someone were to figure out your PIN, when use the same Microsoft account across devices with the same password, they would only have access to one device.

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to create a PIN to quickly unlock your Windows 10 account. And we’ll look at the steps to change as well as remove a PIN from your device.

• Create a PIN on Windows 10
• Change a PIN on Windows 10
• Remove a PIN on Windows 10

Create a PIN on Windows 10

To create a PIN to sign in to Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 10.

2. Click on Accounts.

3. Click on Sign-in options.

4. Under the “Manage how your sign in to your device” section, select the Windows Hello PIN option.

5. Click the Add button.

   

6. Click the Next button.

7. Confirm your current password to verify that you’re who you say you are, and click the Sign in button.

8. Create a PIN that you will use instead of a password.

   

9. Click the OK button.

While in many aspects a PIN is more secure than a password, remember that you can’t add a PIN without first setting a password, as it’s only a secondary method of authentication.

Change a PIN on Windows 10

To change the current PIN on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Accounts.

3. Click on Sign-in options.

4. Under the “Manage how you sign in to your device” section, select the Windows Hello PIN option.

5. Click the Change button.

   

6. Type the current PIN followed by providing the new PIN.

   

7. Click the OK button.

Remove a PIN on Windows 10

To remove a PIN to use a traditional password on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on Accounts.

3. Click on Sign-in options.

4. Under the “Manage how you sign in to your device” section, select the Windows Hello PIN option.

   

5. Click the Remove button.

6. Click the Remove button again.

   

7. Confirm your current password.

8. Click the OK button.

You can now sign out of your account to test the new sign in experience. Additional, once you created a PIN, you can use it to sign in to apps and services too.

Update September 21, 2020: This guide was originally published in October 2016, and it’s been updated to reflect the changes with the latest version of Windows 10.