How to Add Extra Layer of Security by Using PINS, Passwords or Fingerprints (Windows 10)

Security and privacy is of utmost importance to almost every user that goes online nowadays using any kind of device. With all the malware, viruses and many other tools that hackers can use in order to crack your account open, the need of using strong passwords has really become a necessity. Passwords are not just required for online accounts, it is also required even in the offline environments that’s why we see our computers requiring passwords and our smartphones asking us to setup the same in order to ward-off unauthorized people from ever accessing our precious digital data that are stored in our device. Wherever we go in our modern world, we just can’t get away from passwords and remembering them has also become a part of our daily lives.

What’s the Latest?

Device manufacturers and software development companies have already been working together in these past few years to develop other alternatives to passwords and of course, we see PINs, and biometrics being used from smartphones to computers to time-tracking devices at work and in many other industries. Passwords are easily forgotten and lost or it can even be cracked a lot easier than other security codes and these has led to the development of the above-mentioned alternatives. But which really is more secure? Are passwords weaker than PINs or biometrics and other codes and methods in protecting devices, accounts and other such things? The answer really just depends on how good the hacker is and what sort of cracking tools he/she is using that’s why Microsoft has done something amazing in their latest Windows edition dubbed as “The Best Windows Yet”! But what are we talking about here? Well, if you are already using Windows 10 and you haven’t heard yet about this wonderful feature then you really need to read this tutorial towards the very last word below!

The Most Secure Windows Edition Ever!

One of labels attached to Windows 10 is its being secure compared to the previous editions. Well, this same label was attached to Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 but it’s different now in Windows 10 because Microsoft has already included features that would really prove it! But what are we referring to? Is it Windows Defender becoming part of the operating system as a built-in antivirus? Is it the more efficient error reporting and Windows Feedback? Well, it’s actually more than that because Microsoft has included other options for users to secure their devices and account/s by allowing not just passwords but now, even PINs, biometric/fingerprint and even facial recognition (if your computer has the right hardware that supports such security features). 115 The first option; password has been available even from Windows XP but the second which are PINs are new stuff that basic computer owners can try. For the first time, Microsoft is allowing users to secure their computers using a set of numbers instead of a password which could be a combination of alphanumeric characters that are oftentimes easy to forget and get lost in every user’s memory. By allowing PINs, Microsoft has made it easier for users to remember (since pure numbers are a lot easier to remember but equally hard to crack). In this tutorial, we will be learning how to setup a PIN or if your computer has a biometric fingerprint reader, we will also be showing the steps in how to set this up so be sure to get your Windows 10 machine ready and just follow the steps that we will showing below.

Setting up a PIN for Your Windows 10 Computer

If it is your first time to use Windows 10 then you should be aware that the settings for tweaking the system itself is actually found in two different locations instead of just being in the “Control Panel” feature as we all got used to in older Windows editions including Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Yes! There’s actually a new and more modern section where you can find settings for your Windows 10 machine and it is called the “Settings” Window. What’s quite noting about it is that it looks and feels like the settings screen that you that you would find in mobile devices as you can see on the screenshot below. 075 In order to access this modern “Settings” Window, all you need to do is click on the “Start Button” then once the “Start Menu” appears, simply click on the link in it that is labeled “Settings” as highlighted on the screenshot that you see below. 077 Now that you already know how to access the modern “Settings” screen in Windows 10, it is time to get into its section where the options for setting up passwords, PINs or even fingerprints in order to further secure Windows 10 are found.

Accessing the Accounts Section in the Modern Settings Window

Now that the modern Settings Window is already open in your Windows 10 machine, it is time to learn where the section from which you can actually choose to create PINs, passwords or even help you use fingerprints as security layer for your Windows 10 device is found. To get into this section, all you need to do is click on the “Accounts” category that is found on the main modern “Settings” screen as you can see below. 078 On the Window that would follow, you will be able to view information about your Microsoft account which you have used to log in to your Windows 10 computer (in case you’ve chosen to do so) and your profile picture as well as other stuff related to your user account. From here, you will need to click on the “Sign-in options” link that is found on the navigation pane at the left as highlighted on the screenshot below. 081 After clicking on the “Sign-in options” link from the left navigation pane, you will be taken to a Window where you will now find the different options that we’ve talked about earlier which will help you secure your Windows 10 computer. The options that you should see are “Password”, “PIN” and “Windows Hello”. 083 The last one (Windows Hello) would only work if your computer has a fingerprint reader or a high definition camera built-in to your computer with the proper hardware drivers that would allow face recognition as a form of password for logging in to Windows 10.

Setting Up a Password

If you already have set up a password then you will see a “Change” button under the “Password” option and in order to change it, all you need to do is click on the “Change” button itself then another Window will open which will ask you to enter your current password or PIN (depending on what you are currently using to protect your account) for verification purposes as you can see below. 086 On the next Window that will appear after you have entered the PIN or Password depending on which information Windows 10 is asking, you will now be able to enter the “Old password” then “Create password” and “Reenter password”. 089

NOTE:

If  you have set Windows 10 to use PIN as the security lock feature for your computer then it will ask for the PIN first whenever you try to change Password, PIN or fingerprint as you have seen on the screenshots above. However, if you have set Windows 10 to ask for a Password so that users can log in then it will ask a Password first when you try to change the earlier mentioned security details.

Changing the PIN

So you’ve already seen how the “Password” is changed in Windows 10, now let’s try changing the PIN. If you prefer using a PIN in securing your Windows 10 computer then you can simply do so by choosing and setting it active upon logging in to your computer so you can enter a PIN combination instead of a password when logging in. However, this is only possible if you’ve set up a PIN upon installation of Windows 10. If you did not set up a PIN yet, you can do so by heading to the “Accounts” section of the modern “Settings” Window as we have accessed earlier in the previous step and once you are on it, simply click on the button that says “Add” which is found under the “PIN” option as you can see below. 095 After the “Add” button is clicked, you will be able to see a new Window that will ask you to enter the PIN combination that you wish to use. PINs are a lot easier to remember because they are composed of purely numbers just like your ATM PIN but for security purposes, never use your ATM PIN as your Microsoft/Windows 10 account PIN! 097 After entering your desired PIN, all you need to do is click on the “OK” button found at the bottom-right portion of the screen that has appeared after the “Add” button was clicked earlier and voila! Your PIN will be saved right away. Now, if you already have setup a PIN, you can change it by pressing the “Change” button that is located under the “PIN” option then just follow all the other steps that Windows 10 would require you to undergo.

Setting-Up Fingerprint Password

Lastly, if your computer has the right hardware like a fingerprint/biometric reader which is required for “Windows Hello” feature, you can set it up but not before you set up a PIN so be sure to set up a PIN first then setup this Windows Hello feature next. To accomplish this, all you need to do is click on the “Set up” button as highlighted on the screenshot below. 099 A small Window will then open and from it, you will simply need to click on “Get started” and afterwards, Windows 10 will again ask you for the “PIN” that you’ve set up earlier. Just enter the PIN and Windows Hello will now ask you to swipe your finger on your computer’s fingerprint reader. 104 You will be asked to swipe your finger 4 times and after it is done, you’ll be able to see a message that confirms the success of the process as you can see on the screenshot below. 106

Picture Passwords Anyone?

There’s another security feature that is found under this section which is called “Picture password” but we don’t recommend it if you are using an ordinary laptop without a touch-enabled screen. This feature allows users to use pictures and draw patterns on certain parts of it (like square, circle or line) which will serve as password. We don’t recommend it if you’re just using a trackpad or mouse because it would be hard to draw the patterns. However, if you have a mobile device that runs on Windows mobile OS, you can try using this security feature and you’ll surely love it.

More Security Features, Less Worries!

As you can see, Windows 10 is now loaded with different security features for you to choose from. Viewing everything from this angle, we can safely say that Windows 10 really is the most secure Windows edition available at present and it will even improve as Microsoft keeps developing more and more features and newer stuff to add to it. Have you tried the steps we’ve shown above and suffered a problem along the way? We’re here to help you, just let us know what the problem is by using the comments section below and we’ll do our best to respond to your concern the soonest time possible!