Windows 11s new passkey design includes cloud syncing and 1Password integration

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Microsoft is greatly improving its support of passkeys inside Windows 11 soon. A redesigned Windows Hello experience will allow you to select how you want to save your passkeys and even sync them to your Microsoft account or store them with 1Password, Bitwarden, or other passkey providers.

A new API for third-party password and passkey managers means developers can plug directly into the Windows 11 experience, so you can use the same passkey from your mobile device to authenticate on your PC. Right now it’s possible in some apps to do this through QR codes and other ways to authenticate from a mobile device, but Microsoft’s full support means the passkeys experience on Windows is about to get a lot better.

Image: Microsoft

The new Windows Hello UI for passkeys.

Microsoft is also redesigning the Windows Hello prompt, including the ability to setup syncing of passkeys to your Microsoft account or saving them elsewhere. Once you’ve completed a one-time setup process you can use facial recognition, fingerprint, or PIN to authenticate with a passkey across multiple Windows 11 devices.

Windows Insiders will first get access to these new passkey features “in the coming months,” meaning it’ll be a while until all Windows 11 users see this new passkey experience. Microsoft plans to share more details about its improved passkeys support during its Windows security sessions at the Authenticate 2024 conference next week.

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