possible to disable password based login in Windows 10 ?

[waysidesc 846]

is it possible to disable logging in to a computer with a password and instead enabling only using a PIN to login ?

 

maybe through registry or gp on home or pro ?

 

i just want to login with a PIN; no option whatsoever to use a password.

 

thank you for all that you do.

[Som 437]

yes, just switch to sign in with a local account instead and don't type a password, it's under accounts and your info.  Or if you want to keep your microsoft account, type in run command "control userpasswords2" and uncheck users must enter a username ....   make sure to type your full email address as the username and password for your account

 

wait i misread, too much wine, disregard ha 😛

[Jim K 15,692]

It doesn't automatically switch to PIN after you enable it in the sign-in options?  I just enter pins when logging into my computers...not a password.

[+devHead 2,126]

6 minutes ago, waysidesc said:

is it possible to disable logging in to a computer with a password and instead enabling only using a PIN to login ?

 

maybe through registry or gp on home or pro ?

 

i just want to login with a PIN; no option whatsoever to use a password.

 

thank you for all that you do.

If you only want to use a PIN (that's what is recommended and what I do), click on Settings, then Accounts > Sign In Options.  You will see one option 'Windows Hello PIN (recommended).  Select that and it will have you set a PIN that you can use instead of your password.  Don't follow anything Som above told you.  

[waysidesc 846]

7 minutes ago, Som said:

yes, just switch to sign in with a local account instead and don't type a password, it's under accounts and your info.  Or if you want to keep your microsoft account, type in run command "control userpasswords2" and uncheck users must enter a username ....   make sure to type your full email address as the username and password for your account

 

wait i misread, too much wine, disregard ha 😛

 

6 minutes ago, Jim K said:

It doesn't automatically switch to PIN after you enable it in the sign-in options?  I just enter pins when logging into my computers...not a password.

 

4 minutes ago, devHead said:

If you only want to use a PIN (that's what is recommended and what I do), click on Settings, then Accounts > Sign In Options.  You will see one option 'Windows Hello PIN (recommended).  Select that and it will have you set a PIN that you can use instead of your password.  Don't follow anything Som above told you.  

I have done this, devHead, but the option to switch to using a password to login is still available ( after opening 'sign-in options' on, say, lock screen ). I don't want that to appear at all.

 

Thank you for such quick replies !

[+devHead 2,126]

1 minute ago, waysidesc said:

 

 

I have done this, devHead, but the option to switch to using a password to login is still available ( after opening 'sign-in options' on, say, lock screen ). I don't want that to appear at all.

 

Thank you for such quick replies !

Don't click the Sign-in options.  Just enter the PIN and you're in.  They can't remove them completely from the OS - what if you forget your PIN?  You can always fall back on the password.  Just enter your PIN and you have logged in.

[waysidesc 846]

1 minute ago, devHead said:

Don't click the Sign-in options.  Just enter the PIN and you're in.  They can't remove them completely from the OS - what if you forget your PIN?  You can always fall back on the password.  Just enter your PIN and you have logged in.

oh, that really ... is not ideal for what I am trying to achieve. that is kind of strange to me since the initiative to eliminate passwords ...

 

thank you, @devHead, @Som, and @Jim K.

[+devHead 2,126]

8 minutes ago, waysidesc said:

oh, that really ... is not ideal for what I am trying to achieve. that is kind of strange to me since the initiative to eliminate passwords ...

 

thank you, @devHead, @Som, and @Jim K.

I'm sorry, I got the impression that you were trying to achieve an option where you input a PIN instead of a password to log into your computer.  You're leaving something out if that isn't good enough.  What is ideal?  And why do you need to not have that 'Sign-in options' showing below?

[waysidesc 846]

37 minutes ago, devHead said:

I'm sorry, I got the impression that you were trying to achieve an option where you input a PIN instead of a password to log into your computer.  You're leaving something out if that isn't good enough.  What is ideal?  And why do you need to not have that 'Sign-in options' showing below?

it is my fault; please do not apologize.

 

this admittedly is a very strange scenario, but i wanted a relative to have access to my computer --- that only uses a microsoft account --- to access shared notebooks/workspaces with OneNote/Groove 2007 for collaboration over my network ( for this, traditional --- that is, microsoft account --- credentials are necessary ) or even the cloud, but without the relative being able to login to my computer itself. this is why i wish to eliminate the option to use a password to login.

 

in hindsight, i guess i could collaborate with the onenote app that syncs to the cloud so that it is not necessary to share over a network, but it still strikes me as odd that this is not an option.

Edited May 7 by waysidesc
attempt at some clarification !

[+Zag L. 813]

I'm still not following. You want to log in with a PIN instead of a password and you can do that easily. I'm not understanding what difference it makes that there is also an option on screen to use a password. Just use the PIN.

[waysidesc 846]

5 minutes ago, Zag L. said:

I'm still not following. You want to log in with a PIN instead of a password and you can do that easily. I'm not understanding what difference it makes that there is also an option on screen to use a password. Just use the PIN.

i tried to clarify but ...

[+Zag L. 813]

Well, you could try again... what is the issue with an option to enter a password but having the PIN being the default setting? Why is having it as an option not good enough?

[+BudMan 3,725]

1 hour ago, waysidesc said:

i just want to login with a PIN; no option whatsoever to use a password.

Why would you think a pin is different than a password?  What does it matter if you use a pin or a "password" a pin is just a password   A pin is just something that is locally authenticated.

 

What exactly are you trying to accomplish - who will be using this pin?  Are you trying to allow for remote auth, or just local to the machine?

[Jared- 583]

Logic doesn't check out here, a PIN is a password...it's just numeric instead of alphanumeric... 

 

Eliminating passwords is using things like Smart Cards and MFA etc...

[waysidesc 846]

On 5/7/2020 at 7:00 PM, BudMan said:

Why would you think a pin is different than a password?

Because it is ? Maybe not different on a fundamental level ... but they are not identical.

On 5/7/2020 at 7:00 PM, BudMan said:

What does it matter if you use a pin or a "password" a pin is just a password

Windows itself makes a distinction between the two ...

On 5/7/2020 at 7:00 PM, BudMan said:

A pin is just something that is locally authenticated.

Yes.

On 5/7/2020 at 7:00 PM, BudMan said:

What exactly are you trying to accomplish - who will be using this pin?

Please see my post above. What I had tried to accomplish was I just wanted the option for the PIN; only I would be using the PIN.

49 minutes ago, Jared- said:

Logic doesn't check out here, a PIN is a password...it's just numeric instead of alphanumeric... 

 

Eliminating passwords is using things like Smart Cards and MFA etc...

Windows itself makes distinctions between PINs and passwords ... I really think that almost everyone is just arguing semantics ...

 

I didn't say that it was eliminating passwords ... I said it seems odd that Microsoft does not allow to use PINs only since its efforts to eliminate passwords ...

[+BudMan 3,725]

A pin is a "password" its something you use to auth to the device.  So it is a PASSWORD.. its just tied to the device, and not say your MS account!!!

 

Its a local "password"  I don't what kind of nonsense wording MS want's to put a around it.. There is no difference between a PIN and a local account password..  Only restriction is that PIN/Password can not be used to auth remotely.. You have to be local to the device.  Where a password even if a local account, could be used to auth to the device remotely.

 

The pin is used to unlock a local key, that is used to auth..  The tech behind how it auths you doesn't make it any different than a password - it is something you enter to auth you to the device/system.  You understand that a fingerprint is just a "password" as well right..  Its just something you have vs something know.  Still a "password" how ever you want to slice it up.

[waysidesc 846]

14 hours ago, BudMan said:

A pin is a "password" its something you use to auth to the device.  So it is a PASSWORD.. its just tied to the device, and not say your MS account!!!

Please understand that I am not disagreeing with you fundamentally ... I also know that the PIN is tied to the device alone and not the Microsoft account ... that was the entire reason I wanted what I wanted ... 

14 hours ago, BudMan said:

Its a local "password"  I don't what kind of nonsense wording MS want's to put a around it.. There is no difference between a PIN and a local account password..  Only restriction is that PIN/Password can not be used to auth remotely.. You have to be local to the device.  Where a password even if a local account, could be used to auth to the device remotely.

You are fine. I understand.

14 hours ago, BudMan said:

The pin is used to unlock a local key, that is used to auth..  The tech behind how it auths you doesn't make it any different than a password - it is something you enter to auth you to the device/system.  You understand that a fingerprint is just a "password" as well right..  Its just something you have vs something know.  Still a "password" how ever you want to slice it up.

I understand this. I really think this is all semantics though ... !

[+BudMan 3,725]

So if you understand this - what is the point of wanting to have a pin, and not a password... Make your password 123456 if you want..

 

Not understanding the use case here????

 

Password can be used "remotely" pin can not.. Make your password, if your worried about some sort of remote hack?

"HIEb6CyUR*97cWQ@%pIi%gP$Qra3KTcX!K6s!s68QVhWRa!4Y1we^xR40G3uXFXDKOiM$5s1jIxUUl4W"

 

Set your pin to be 1234..

[Richard C. 289]

There's no realistic way to do this, unless you change your password to a PIN number, however what's wrong as budman says with creating a strong password, then PIN option. You'll never be asked for the password again.

[+BudMan 3,725]

Or just don't set a password... My nephew finally brought his laptop over so I could upgrade it to 10.. He has no password... He just clicks login

 

He uses the laptop at home, it doesn't go anywhere with it.  Its not open to the net, etc. etc. 

 

He clicks login - no need to enter anything.. So please explain why you think having a pin is something you want, while not having a password?  Just do not understand the point... You either put something in to login to the device, or you don't - be it you call it a pin, or a password means nothing.. You auth or you don't - period.

 

Only reason to have a password, is you actually want to auth to the machine remotely - file shares/RDP... Or you want your account to auth to another file share on your network, with its password.. same username/password combo, etc.

 

To be honest the only reason MS came up with the whole pin thing, is some hope that users wouldn't not be using some ###### password as their login for their MS account   Which they want the users to use to auth to their machines... So they came up with a way for a user to put in 1234, and hopefully their MS password would be of some actual strength... Cuz gawd forbid users have to type in more than couple of characters or remember something longer than 6 characters in length..

 

Why even setup a pin if your going to setup "hello" just have it rec your face..  Then you don't have to type in anything either

[NinjaGinger 242]

I log in by face recognition or fingerprint and it never asks for my password instead.

[+BudMan 3,725]

^ exactly!!!  if you don't want to type in a "password" that is how you do it.. . Your still "authing" your using your face or fingerprint as your "password"

 

If your having to type in a "pin" how is that any different than typing in a "password"

 

The only point of a "pin" is your password on your MS account can be something like "Ssa96&8biWVPP0" while you type in 1234 to auth to your machine while your in front of it.. If you want to keep billy bob your brother of your machine   Better to just setup face or fingerprint if that is what your trying to do.

[waysidesc 846]

I wish the commentators would stop arguing over definitions and semantics and what-have-you ...

... it has no relevance to that for which I asked ! Regardless of identicality or similarity or however you define any such option(s) ... they are different options !

 

This is what I wanted : https://www.neowin.net/news/windows-10-version-2004-is-coming---heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-it

Quote

 

Accounts and security

Microsoft has made a few improvements to the user account experience, specifically for Microsoft accounts. Continuing its bid to get rid of passwords, it's now possible to disable password authentication altogether on your PC, forcing you to use biometrics or a PIN to log in. 

 

It was not an option for actual use ... until the 2020 May Update.

[Mineria 52]

In the past you had to set group policy to restrict account addition/creation on Windows 10, the new setting that restricts PIN only basically does about the same thing.
Although, there are still workarounds to both methods in regards of adding/creating an account and assigning which user group it belongs to.

Edited May 30 by Mineria