britechguy
Well-Known Member
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- Staunton, VA
I just returned from downstairs and playing with the machine.
@nlinecomputers: My guess is that it would perhaps ask you to login with a password, but see below.
@timeshifter: MS has added yet another hoop, or at least I think they have, my memory is misty now about what I may, or may not, have turned off under Windows 10. But under Windows 10, if I go to Settings, Accounts, Sign-In Options, the toggle for Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft Accounts is OFF. I do not ever recall having tweaked this, but I very well could have, because I strongly favor using my password over a PIN.
Under Windows 11, if I go to the same location in settings, the toggle for For improved security, allow only Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft Accounts on this machine is ON by default. Throughout the following I was offline - no internet connection. In this state, if I clicked "Forgot Password" the standard Microsoft Account login dialog appears, which requires you to be online for it to work, and you get the warning that you can't use it without an internet connection. So, in that circumstance, you are absolutely stuck with the PIN.
I immediately went into settings and threw the above noted toggle to OFF, then logged out. After that, although PIN was still presented as the default login method, there was a link beneath for other login methods, and if you activated that you saw the usual PIN and Password icons that allow you to switch between the two. I hit the Password icon and was able to log in with my Microsoft Account password. This also proves that a local encrypted copy is kept for Windows 11 just as it is for Windows 10 so that internet access is not needed to use the password, but you have to have turned off that pernicious allow only Windows Hello sign-in crap at the outset for the option to appear.
If someone happens to have a fresh Windows 10 instance, please check to see if the Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft Accounts toggle defaults to OFF, if you would. I have no convenient way to determine if I might have changed this way back when or if it does default to OFF under Windows 10 while it's analogous setting defaults to ON under Windows 11. I know I had never touched this under Windows 11 after clean installing it, so what I found has to be the default state, at least for Windows 11 Home.
@nlinecomputers: My guess is that it would perhaps ask you to login with a password, but see below.
@timeshifter: MS has added yet another hoop, or at least I think they have, my memory is misty now about what I may, or may not, have turned off under Windows 10. But under Windows 10, if I go to Settings, Accounts, Sign-In Options, the toggle for Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft Accounts is OFF. I do not ever recall having tweaked this, but I very well could have, because I strongly favor using my password over a PIN.
Under Windows 11, if I go to the same location in settings, the toggle for For improved security, allow only Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft Accounts on this machine is ON by default. Throughout the following I was offline - no internet connection. In this state, if I clicked "Forgot Password" the standard Microsoft Account login dialog appears, which requires you to be online for it to work, and you get the warning that you can't use it without an internet connection. So, in that circumstance, you are absolutely stuck with the PIN.
I immediately went into settings and threw the above noted toggle to OFF, then logged out. After that, although PIN was still presented as the default login method, there was a link beneath for other login methods, and if you activated that you saw the usual PIN and Password icons that allow you to switch between the two. I hit the Password icon and was able to log in with my Microsoft Account password. This also proves that a local encrypted copy is kept for Windows 11 just as it is for Windows 10 so that internet access is not needed to use the password, but you have to have turned off that pernicious allow only Windows Hello sign-in crap at the outset for the option to appear.
If someone happens to have a fresh Windows 10 instance, please check to see if the Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft Accounts toggle defaults to OFF, if you would. I have no convenient way to determine if I might have changed this way back when or if it does default to OFF under Windows 10 while it's analogous setting defaults to ON under Windows 11. I know I had never touched this under Windows 11 after clean installing it, so what I found has to be the default state, at least for Windows 11 Home.
