How To Use Fingerprint To Sign In To Windows 10

Windows Hello, the new biometric security feature in Windows 10, enables you sign in to your Windows 10 PC with just a look or a touch. Although there are very few Windows 10 devices that can recognize your face and iris, most PCs equipped with fingerprint readers support Windows Hello.

In this guide, we will see how to enable and configure Windows Hello fingerprint feature to log in to Windows 10 with a touch.

Where is fingerprint data stored?

For those who are serious about privacy, the data captured from your fingerprint reader is encrypted and stored only on your device. The data will not be stored in the cloud, which means that it never leaves your device. In fact, the representation of your fingerprint is not actually an image but it’s more like a graph, according to Microsoft.

On the top that, the identification data collected can’t be used to recreate your fingerprint, which means that it can be misused in any way.

Use fingerprint to log in to Windows 10

In order to setup and use fingerprint reader (Windows Hello) you must setup a PIN to log in to Windows 10. And PIN can be enabled only on Microsoft accounts, meaning you can’t enable and use Windows Hello fingerprint with local user account.

Step 1: Open Settings by clicking its icon in the left-side of the Start menu or using Windows logo + I keyboard shortcut.

Step 2: Once Settings is launched, click Accounts.

Step 3: Click Sign-in options. Under Windows Hello, you should see Setup button. And if the Setup button is greyed-out and “You must set up a PIN before you can enrol in Windows Hello” message, it’s because you haven’t turned on PIN (Personal Identification Number) for your account.

Please go through our how to use a PIN to sign in to Windows 10 guide to add a PIN to your account.

Once PIN is added to your account, click the Setup button under Windows Hello section to see Windows Hello setup wizard.

NOTE: If the Setup button is greyed-out, it could be because your fingerprint reader or scanner doesn’t support Windows Hello. Or it could be because you have installed an outdated driver.

Make sure that you have installed the latest version of fingerprint reader driver on your Windows 10 PCs. Visit the manufacturer’s website to check if there is a new version of fingerprint scanner driver released with support for Windows 10 and Windows Hello.

Step 4: On the Windows Hello setup wizard, click Get started button.

Step 5: When you are asked to enter your account PIN, please enter the PIN to continue.

Step 6: Next, you will be asked to swipe your finger on the fingerprint reader. On the fingerprint reader, swipe one of your fingers that you would like to use for fingerprint protection. Note that you can add multiple fingers but only one at a time.

Step 7: You will be asked swipe the same finger for a few times to setup Windows Hello. After swiping down the same finger, you will see “All set!” message. That’s it!

From now, when you at the login screen, simply swipe on the fingerprint reader using the same thumb that you used to setup Windows Hello fingerprint to sign in to your Windows 10 account.

Tip: You don’t need to reach the login screen in order to sign in with your fingerprint. When you are at the lock screen, simply swipe on the fingerprint reader to log in to Windows 10.

To turn off Windows Hello fingerprint

Step 1: Open Settings app, click Accounts, and then click Sign in options.

Step 2: Under Windows Hello section, click Remove button.

That’s it!