Microsoft has long been pushing Windows users to stop using regular passwords to protect their accounts. The latest step in this direction is the refusal to use passwords when registering new Microsoft accounts. Now users will be offered only more secure ways to protect accounts, such as access keys (passkey), push notifications or security keys.
Image source: Unsplash
Microsoft’s new password-free initiative comes with a streamlined sign-in window. The company has reordered the steps to sign in so that the process is easiest when using a passkey instead of a password. While existing Microsoft accounts will still have passwords, at least for now, the software giant has gotten rid of them entirely for new accounts, and no longer offers the option to create a password.
«
With these changes, Microsoft is effectively renaming “World Password Day” to “World Access Key Day,” promising to continue working on implementing this innovation in the future. According to the company, about 1 million access keys are registered annually, and the authorization success rate with them is 98%, while with regular passwords it is only 32%.