On the occasion of World Password Day (which typically falls on the first Thursday of May i.e. May 2 this year), Microsoft wants to “eliminate passwords for good”. Redmond-based tech behemoth is finally rolling out support for passkey for all consumer accounts today.
The company announced this update via a blog post earlier today, mentioning how Microsoft once dreamt of “a world free of passwords” ten years ago. And now the dream seems closer as its counterparts such as Google and Apple are already acing the game. Interestingly, Microsoft’s support for passkeys comes about two years after Apple announced the same for iOS 16 and macOS 13.
That said, once you set up your passkey by following this link, you can use your Face ID, Fingerprint, PIN, or a security key with a device to sign in securely using a passkey. The best part about the update is that it’s rolling out across Apple, Google, and Windows platforms simultaneously.
Microsoft’s passkey support is live on desktop applications and websites, such as Microsoft 365 (Office) and its popular Copilot AI assistant. Passkey support for Microsoft’s mobile applications will be introduced in the upcoming weeks, the company noted in a blog.
Notably, Microsoft has quite a history on the road towards a passwordless future. It first introduced Windows Hello authentication with Windows 10 in 2015, allowing users to sign in using their face, fingerprint, or PIN. Later, the support for FIDO support keys started in April 2018, followed by a complete passwordless solution for Microsoft accounts by 2021.
Today, several popular platforms, such as Amazon, 1Password, Dashlane, Docusign, eBay, Nintendo, PayPal, WhatsApp, and others, support passkeys. Just recently, Google announced that its passkeys have been used over a billion times. Lastly, to quote Microsoft, “Happy World Password(less) Day!”