How to configure Picture Passwords and PINs in Windows 10

Introduction

When you first think of the concept of a picture password, you may think of something like the old TV show classic “Concentration,” or a typical emoji-based conversation — a bunch of pictograms coming together to create a specific phrase or idea. In reality, however, it’s actually much more similar to a hidden object game: there are specific elements in a picture that the user decides are important and you can only progress once those criteria are met. 

PINs (Personal Identification Number), on the other hand, are something that most people are very familiar with — a set of numbers that act as proof that you are authorized to use whatever it is that the PIN is tied to. 

In recent years, both of these elements have been incorporated into various Windows operating systems and can be used in place of a traditional username and password login. 

Picture passwords

Picture passwords have been around for some time now, though they still aren’t really in widespread use. But it’s easy to see why a security-minded person might want to trade a password that can be captured via a keylogger for an authentication method that only requires a mouse, producing a theoretically far more secure authentication mechanism. 

In addition, people that heavily use Microsoft’s Accessibility options or tablet-mode laptops could find this far faster and less frustrating than entering a password with an onscreen keyboard.

Sponsorships Available

Sponsorships Available

Sponsorships Available

Here’s how you activate it:

• To activate a picture password, you’ll first want to click on Start and go to Settings
• From here, you’re going to want to click on the Accounts option under Windows Settings
• After this, you’ll see a number of available options underneath the Accounts menu on the Left side of the screen. You’ll want to select Sign-in options
• (Read more...)