Microsoft on Wednesday informed owners of consumer accounts that they can now go completely passwordless and rely on other, more secure authentication methods.
Users with existing Microsoft accounts can delete their password from the account, and new accounts can be created without a password. Users will be able to rely on Microsoft’s Authenticator app, Windows Hello, physical security keys, or phone/email verification codes to sign in to services such as Outlook, OneDrive and Family Safety.
Users who want to go passwordless need to access the Advanced Security Options menu in their account and select Passwordless Account to remove their password. However, they need to ensure that another authentication method is linked to the account before removing the password.
Microsoft says the feature will be rolled out over the coming weeks.
As for enterprises, Microsoft announced the general availability of passwordless authentication for commercial users in March 2021, and the tech giant says it will soon start working on eliminating passwords for Azure AD accounts.
“Administrators will be able to choose whether passwords are required, allowed, or simply don’t exist for a set of users. Users will be able to choose not to set a password when creating an account or to remove their password from an existing account,” explained Joy Chik, corporate VP of the identity division in Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group.
Passwords are considered a highly insecure authentication method since they can easily get compromised, and attackers who obtain users’ passwords may be able to access even accounts that are protected with multi-step authentication, particularly if it relies on SMS messages.
Related: How Do We Get to a Passwordless World? One Step at a Time
Related: Microsoft Introduces New Password Spray Detection for Azure
Related: Microsoft Edge Adds Password Generator, Drops Support for Flash, FTP

Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.
More from Eduard Kovacs
- China’s Offensive Cyber Operations in Africa Support Soft Power Efforts
- SANS Survey Shows Drop in 2023 ICS/OT Security Budgets
- Apple Patches 3 Zero-Days Likely Exploited by Spyware Vendor to Hack iPhones
- Cisco to Acquire Splunk for $28 Billion
- Car Cybersecurity Study Shows Drop in Critical Vulnerabilities Over Past Decade
- Omron Patches PLC, Engineering Software Flaws Discovered During ICS Malware Analysis
- Intel Launches New Attestation Service as Part of Trust Authority Portfolio
- Atos Unify Vulnerabilities Could Allow Hackers to Backdoor Systems
Latest News
- Researchers Discover Attempt to Infect Leading Egyptian Opposition Politician With Predator Spyware
- In Other News: New Analysis of Snowden Files, Yubico Goes Public, Election Hacking
- China’s Offensive Cyber Operations in Africa Support Soft Power Efforts
- Air Canada Says Employee Information Accessed in Cyberattack
- BIND Updates Patch Two High-Severity DoS Vulnerabilities
- Faster Patching Pace Validates CISA’s KEV Catalog Initiative
- SANS Survey Shows Drop in 2023 ICS/OT Security Budgets
- Apple Patches 3 Zero-Days Likely Exploited by Spyware Vendor to Hack iPhones
