Windows Hello limits the attack surface for Windows by eliminating the need for passwords and other methods under which identities are more likely to be stolen. With multifactor authentication, an account is 99.9 percent less likely to be compromised.” How Windows Hello works

“Passwords are a hassle to use, and they present security risks for users and organizations of all sizes…. “Since we depend even more on getting online for everything in our lives, we’re more than ready to be done with passwords,” said Katharine Holdsworth, principal group program manager, Windows Security.

Windows Hello and other biometric authentication features like Apple’s Face ID or Touch ID are designed to offer an alternative to passwords that is unique and more secure because it relies on technology that’s harder to break. It is not uncommon for people to use the same password (or variations) across multiple sites and applications. “Traditional passwords are unsafe as they are hard to remember, and therefore people either choose easy-to-guess passwords or write down their passwords.” “Windows Hello solves a few problems: security and inconvenience,” said Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy. The sign-in mechanism is essentially an alternative to passwords and is widely considered to be a more user friendly, secure and reliable method to access critical devices, services and data than traditional logins using passwords.

Windows Hello is a biometrics-based technology that enables Windows 10 users (and those who update to Windows 11) to authenticate secure access to their devices, apps, online services and networks with just a fingerprint, iris scan or facial recognition.

Windows hello fingerprint