Microsoft announces password-less sign-in for your MSA account using Windows Hello or Security Key
If you are using Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809), Microsoft Edge now supports password less authentication to sign-in to MSA accounts using WebAuthn and FIDO2 specifications. This makes Microsoft the first company to support password free authentication.
Let's discuss about password-less authentication and how to configure your Microsoft account to sign-in using Windows Hello and/or Security Keys.
What is WebAuthn?
Alex Simons, the Corporate Vice President of Program Management at Microsoft Identity Division, in a blog post mentioned that "Microsoft is the first Fortune 500 company to support password-less authentication using the the WebAuthn and FIDO2 specifications, and Microsoft Edge supports the widest array of authenticators compared to other major browsers.".
What is Windows Hello?
What is FIDO2 compliant Security Key?
You can purchase security keys from retailers. Yubico's YubiKey and the Feitian BioPass key are some examples of FIDO2 compliant security keys.
How to configure Microsoft Account to sign-in with Windows Hello?
If you are on Windows 10 October 2018 Update, follow these steps to set up Windows Hello and then sign in to your Microsoft account in Microsoft Edge:
- Open your Windows 10 Settings app.
- Navigate to
Accounts |Sign-in options . - Under the
Windows Hello section, selectSet up to configure your Windows Hello (if not done already). - Next time when you would like to sign-in to Microsoft site on Microsoft Edge browser, select
More Options |Use Windows Hello or a security key to sign-in using Windows Hello.
How to configure Microsoft Account to sign-in with Security Keys?
If you are on Windows 10 October 2018 Update, follow these steps to configure Microsoft Account to sign-in with Security Keys:
- Open Microsoft Edge and navigate to the Microsoft account page to sign in as you normally would.
- Now navigate to
Security |More security options . UnderWindows Hello and security keys , follow the instructions for setting up the security key. - Next time when you would like to sign-in to Microsoft site on Microsoft Edge browser, select
More Options |Use a security key to sign-in using FIDO2 compliant security key device.

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