• Windows Phone Area
• On December 16, 2016

Use a favorite photo or a PIN to log into Windows and apps

By default, Windows 10 prompts you to enter an account password to log in. However, there are other ways to sign in to Windows, apps and services, and you can enable them from the Settings menu.

Windows 10 allows you to create a 4-digit PIN that *replaces the account password for OS and services. You can also use a favorite photo for authentication. Here is how you can replace the password to log in to Windows with a picture or PIN:

Use a photo to sign in to Windows 10:

1. Open Settings, and go to Accounts → Sign-in options.

2. Find the Picture password menu and click on the ‘Add’ button.

3. Verify your account by entering the password.

4. You have to ‘Choose a picture’, Drag the photo to the position you want and tap ‘Use this picture’.

5. Now Draw three gestures on your photo. Use any combination of circles, straight lines and taps. Remember the order and the position of the gestures. They will become your password.

6. Confirm your gestures by repeating them.

7. You’ve successfully created a picture password to sign in to Windows 10.

To remove the Picture password, go to Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options. Click on the ‘Remove’ button and enter the current account password.

Instead of a normal password or a photo, you can also create a 4-digit PIN.

Use a PIN to sign in to Windows 10:

1. From the Account Settings, tap ‘Add’ a PIN.

2. Confirm your account. Verify your account password.

3. Type a 4-digit PIN and confirm it.

4. You can now use the PIN to sign in to Windows, apps and services.

*When setting up a PIN or photo, you can still sign in using the normal password by clicking on the Sign-in options link.

At the time of writing, Windows 10 Mobile doesn’t support a Picture password, but you can create a PIN from the Account Settings menu.