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I replaced my Microsoft account password with a passkey - and you should, too


You can make your Microsoft account far more secure if you ditch your password. But if you plan to do so, there's a step you absolutely must not skip.

They can try every combination of letters, numbers, and symbols in every alphabet known to humanity, even if it takes until the end of the universe, and they will never guess the password for my Microsoft account. Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNETOpen the Authenticator app on your mobile device, click the plus sign, and scan the QR code using the smartphone camera to add your new account. Choose the "Face, fingerprint, PIN, or security key" option to create a passkey that's tied to that biometric hardware, using Windows Hello with face recognition or a fingerprint reader on a Windows PC, or an Apple iCloud Keychain passkey, using Touch ID on a MacBook.

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