Windows Hello, the new biometric security feature in Windows 10 enables you to sign in to your Windows 10 PC with just a look or a touch. Although there are very few Windows 10 devices that can recognize your face and iris, most PCs equipped with fingerprint readers support Windows Hello.
In this guide, we will see how to enable and configure Windows Hello fingerprint feature to log in to Windows 10 with a touch.
Where is fingerprint data stored?
For those who are serious about privacy, the data captured from your fingerprint reader is encrypted and stored only on your device. The data will not be stored in the cloud, which means that it never leaves your device. In fact, the representation of your fingerprint is not actually an image, but it’s more like a graph, according to Microsoft.
On the top that, the identification data collected can’t be used to recreate your fingerprint, which means that it can be misused in any way.
Use the fingerprint to log in to Windows 10
NOTE 1: To use the fingerprint reader (Windows Hello), you must set up a PIN to log in to Windows 10. The Windows Hello set up asks you to create a PIN once you set up the fingerprint.
NOTE 2: If you are using a local user account, you need to add a password to your local user account first to be able to set up the Windows Hello Fingerprint. Unlike before, both Microsoft account and local account users can set up and use Windows Hellow Fingerprint.
Step 1: Open Settings by clicking its icon on the left side of the Start menu or using the Windows logo + I keyboard shortcut.
Step 2: Once Settings is launched, go to Accounts > Sign-in options page.
Step 3: Click on the Windows Hello Fingerprint to see the Set up button. Click on the Set up button.
NOTE: If the Setup button is greyed-out, it could be because your fingerprint reader or scanner doesn’t support Windows Hello. Or it could be because you have installed an outdated driver.
Make sure that you have installed the latest version of the fingerprint reader driver on your Windows 10 PCs. Visit the manufacturer’s website to check if there is a new version of the fingerprint scanner driver released with support for Windows 10 and Windows Hello.
Step 4: On the Windows Hello setup wizard, click the Get started button.
Step 5: Next, you will be asked to swipe or place your finger on the fingerprint reader. On the fingerprint reader, swipe or place one of your fingers that you would like to use for fingerprint protection. Note that you can add multiple fingers but only one at a time.
Step 6: You will be asked to swipe or place the same finger a few times to set up Windows Hello. After swiping or placing down the same finger, you will see “All set!” message. That’s it!
Step 7: When you get the following dialog, click on the Set up PIN button. Note that you will not get this dialog if you have already added a PIN to your account.
Step 8: When asked, type your Windows account password.
Step 9: Type a PIN and confirm the PIN by typing it again. The PIN should consist of a minimum of four digits. If you would like to use letters and symbols in your PIN, select Include letters and symbols option. Note that you need to remember the PIN, and the same is required if the fingerprint fails to work.
From now, when you are at the login screen, simply swipe or place your finger on the fingerprint reader using the same finger that you used to set up Windows Hello fingerprint to sign in to your Windows 10 account.
Tip: You don’t need to reach the login screen to sign in with your fingerprint. When you are at the lock screen, simply swipe on the fingerprint reader to log in to Windows 10.
Turn off Windows Hello fingerprint
Step 1: Open Settings app, click Accounts, and then click Sign-in options.
Step 2: Click on the Windows Hello Fingerprint to reveal the Remove button. Click on the Remove button to remove the fingerprint.
That’s it!
