What Windows Hello Actually Is
Typing a password every time you sit down at your computer gets old fast, and it is not even the safest way to sign in. A password can be guessed, phished, or reused from another site that got breached. Windows Hello is Microsoft’s answer to that problem, and it is already built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. Instead of a password, you sign in with your face, your fingerprint, or a short PIN that only works on that one computer.
The important thing to understand is what Windows Hello does not do. It does not send your face or your fingerprint to Microsoft. When you set up face or fingerprint sign-in, Windows creates a mathematical model of your face or fingerprint and stores it on your own PC, protected by the security chip inside the device. Your biometric data never leaves the computer.
Of the three options, face sign-in is the fastest. You open the laptop lid, the camera sees you, and you are in. Fingerprint sign-in is nearly as quick and works well on laptops where the reader is built into the power button or the palm rest. The PIN is the fallback for everything: it works on every PC, with no special hardware at all.
This guide walks through all three. First you will check whether your PC has the hardware for face or fingerprint sign-in, then you will set up a PIN, because Windows requires a PIN before it lets you add face or fingerprint. After that you will add whichever biometric method your PC supports, and learn how to manage or remove a method later.
Before You Start
Setting up Windows Hello is quick, but a few minutes of preparation helps.
Step 1: Check that your PC has the hardware you want to use. Face sign-in needs an infrared camera, not an ordinary webcam. Fingerprint sign-in needs a fingerprint reader, built into the laptop or plugged in as a USB reader. The PIN needs nothing extra and works on every Windows PC.
Step 2: Have a PIN in mind before you start. Windows requires a PIN before you can add face or fingerprint, so you will be asked to create one during setup. Pick a PIN of at least six digits that you can remember but that is not obvious, such as your birth year or a repeating pattern. You can change it later.
Step 3: Sign in with an administrator account. You need administrator rights to set up Windows Hello. On a work or school computer, your IT department may control which sign-in methods are allowed.
Step 4: Update Windows first. An out-of-date Windows can cause setup to fail, or a fingerprint reader to stop working after an update. Open Settings, go to Windows Update, install any pending updates, and restart the PC.
Step 5: For face setup, pick a well-lit spot. Face setup works best in a room with even, natural light on your face. Avoid sitting with a bright window directly behind you, which puts your face in shadow, and avoid a dark room.
How to Check Whether Your PC Supports Face or Fingerprint
Not every PC supports every Windows Hello method. The PIN works everywhere, but face and fingerprint need specific hardware. The Sign-in options page tells you what you have: Windows only shows a method as available when it can see the hardware for it.
Step 1: Open Settings. Press the Windows key and I together, or click Start and then the Settings gear icon.
Step 2: Go to Accounts, then Sign-in options. In the left-hand menu, click Accounts, then click Sign-in options.
Step 3: Look at the list under Ways to sign in. You should see entries for Facial recognition (Windows Hello), Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello), and PIN (Windows Hello). If an entry says the option is unavailable, the hardware is missing or its driver is not installed.
Step 4: Click Facial recognition to see the message. If your PC has an infrared camera, the entry will let you set it up. If it says something like “We couldn’t find a camera compatible with Windows Hello Face”, your camera is a regular webcam, not an infrared one. A regular webcam cannot do Windows Hello Face. Face recognition maps the shape of your face using infrared light, which works in the dark and cannot be fooled by a photograph.
Step 5: Click Fingerprint recognition to see its status. If your PC has a fingerprint reader, the entry will be ready to set up. If it says the option is unavailable, there is no reader, or its driver is not installed. On many laptops the reader is built into the power button or the palm rest.
Step 6: Check Device Manager if the answer is still unclear. Right-click the Start button and choose Device Manager. Expand Biometric devices and Cameras to see what is listed. If a device shows a yellow warning icon, right-click it and choose Update driver.
Step 7: Check the manufacturer’s specifications as a last resort. Search the maker’s website for your exact laptop model and look for the words “Windows Hello”, “IR camera”, or “fingerprint reader” in the specifications. Do not assume a laptop has either feature just because it is new or expensive.
If your PC supports neither face nor fingerprint, you are not stuck. Set up the PIN, which is still a big improvement over typing your Microsoft account password every time, and consider a compatible USB reader or external infrared camera later.
How to Set Up a Windows Hello PIN
The PIN comes first. Windows will not let you add face or fingerprint sign-in until a PIN exists, because the PIN is the fallback that gets you into the PC when a biometric scan fails.
Step 1: Open Settings, then go to Accounts and Sign-in options. Press Windows key and I, click Accounts in the left-hand menu, then click Sign-in options.
Step 2: Click PIN (Windows Hello), then click Set up. Windows may first ask you to enter your account password.
Step 3: Enter your new PIN twice. Type the PIN you chose into the New PIN box, then type it again in the Confirm PIN box. A PIN is numbers only by default, but you can tick the box for letters and symbols if you want a longer one.
Step 4: Click OK. Windows saves the PIN and takes you back to the Sign-in options page. The PIN entry should now show options to change it or remove it, which confirms it is set.
Step 5: Test the PIN right away. Lock the PC with Windows key and L, then sign back in with the new PIN instead of your password. If you use a Microsoft account and forget the PIN later, the lock screen offers an “I forgot my PIN” link that verifies your identity online and lets you set a new one.
Your PIN is tied to the device, not to your account. The same Microsoft account can have a different PIN on each PC you use.
How to Set Up Windows Hello Face
Face sign-in is the most convenient of the three methods once it is running. You open the laptop, the infrared camera recognises you, and the lock screen disappears without you touching anything.
Step 1: Make sure your PIN is already set up. If you skipped the previous section, go back and set up a PIN first. Windows will ask you for it during face setup.
Step 2: Open Settings, then go to Accounts and Sign-in options. Press Windows key and I, click Accounts, then click Sign-in options.
Step 3: Click Facial recognition (Windows Hello), then click Set up. If the option says it is unavailable, your PC does not have an infrared camera, or the driver is missing.
Step 4: Click Get started and verify with your PIN. Windows asks you to enter your PIN to prove it is really you setting this up.
Step 5: Look at the camera and keep your face in the frame. Sit about an arm’s length from the screen, look directly at the camera, and keep your head still while it scans.
Step 6: Choose whether to improve recognition. After the first scan, Windows offers an Improve recognition option. If you normally wear glasses, do the extra scan with them on.
Step 7: Click Close to finish, then test it. Lock the PC with Windows key and L, then just look at the camera.
Face sign-in generally still recognises you if you grow a beard or change your hairstyle, because it maps the structure of your face rather than surface details.
How to Set Up Windows Hello Fingerprint
Fingerprint sign-in suits people who want something quick and physical, and it works on any laptop with a reader.
Step 1: Make sure your PIN is already set up. As with face sign-in, Windows asks for your PIN during fingerprint setup, so create one first if you have not.
Step 2: Open Settings, then go to Accounts and Sign-in options. Press Windows key and I, click Accounts, then click Sign-in options.
Step 3: Click Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello), then click Set up. If the option is unavailable, your PC has no fingerprint reader, or the driver is missing or out of date.
Step 4: Click Get started and verify with your PIN. Enter your PIN when Windows asks. This confirms that the person adding a fingerprint is the account owner.
Step 5: Touch the reader repeatedly as prompted. Place your index finger flat on the reader, lift it, and place it again. Do this several times, shifting your finger slightly each time, until Windows says the scan is complete. If the reader does not respond, make sure your finger is clean and dry.
Step 6: Add another finger. Once the first finger is saved, Windows offers to add another finger. Register your other index finger, or a thumb, as a backup. If the first finger is cut, wet, or dirty, the backup still gets you in.
Step 7: Test it on the lock screen. Lock the PC with Windows key and L, then touch the reader. You should be signed in within a second or two.
Fingerprint readers can be fussy about wet, greasy, or very dry skin. If your hands are wet after washing them, dry them before signing in.
How to Use Windows Hello in Apps and Browsers
Windows Hello does more than unlock the lock screen. Once it is set up, it can also sign you in to apps and websites. Instead of typing a password, you confirm with your face, your fingerprint, or your PIN.
The most common place you will notice this is signing in to your Microsoft account. When you sign in to a Microsoft service in Edge, Windows may offer to use Windows Hello instead of your password. Accept the prompt and confirm with your face or fingerprint.
Step 1: Open Microsoft Edge and sign in to your Microsoft account. Go to a Microsoft site such as outlook.com and sign in. When Edge asks whether you want to use Windows Hello, accept the offer and confirm with your face, fingerprint, or PIN.
Step 2: Turn on passwordless sign-in for your Microsoft account if you want it. In your Microsoft account security settings, look for the passwordless option. Turning it on means your Microsoft account can be signed in to with Windows Hello, an authenticator app, or a security key, instead of a password.
Step 3: Use Windows Hello when a website offers it. Many websites now support passkeys, a modern replacement for passwords. When a site offers to save a passkey, Windows can store it on your PC and protect it with Windows Hello.
There is one optional setting worth knowing about. Under Additional settings on the Sign-in options page, Windows 11 has a toggle that reads “For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device.” Turning it on removes the password option from the sign-in screen on that PC.
How to Manage and Remove Windows Hello Methods
Windows Hello is not a one-time setup that you forget about. You may want to add another finger, remove face data, or start over when your hardware changes. All of this happens on the same Sign-in options page.
Step 1: Open Settings, then go to Accounts and Sign-in options. Press Windows key and I, click Accounts, then click Sign-in options.
Step 2: To add another finger, click Fingerprint recognition and then Add a finger. Verify with your PIN, then scan the new finger the same way you scanned the first one.
Step 3: To improve face recognition, click Facial recognition and then Improve recognition. Windows scans your face again and adds the new data to your existing profile.
Step 4: To remove face sign-in, click Facial recognition and then Remove. Windows deletes the face data from the device.
Step 5: To remove a fingerprint, click Fingerprint recognition and then Remove. This deletes all the fingerprints you have registered on that PC.
Step 6: To change your PIN, click PIN (Windows Hello) and then Change PIN. Enter your old PIN, then enter the new one twice. To remove the PIN entirely, click Remove instead.
Hardware changes deserve a mention. If you replace the fingerprint reader, swap the camera, or move your hard drive to a new PC, your old biometric data does not come with you. Windows Hello data is tied to the device and its security chip, so a new device means setting up face and fingerprint again from scratch.
Security and Privacy: Where Your Biometric Data Lives
Biometric sign-in raises a fair question: where does your face and fingerprint data go? The short answer is that it stays on your PC. Windows stores a mathematical model of your face or fingerprint locally on the device, protected by the security chip, and it does not upload that data to Microsoft or to any other company. Microsoft does not keep a copy of your fingerprint or your face.
That local storage has a practical consequence. If your PC is stolen, the thief cannot pull your fingerprint off it and use it somewhere else, because the data is locked to that device’s security chip.
There are still a few sensible precautions. On a shared PC, each person should have their own user account with their own Windows Hello setup, rather than everyone sharing one account. On a work or school PC, your employer or school may have policies about which sign-in methods are allowed. If you sell or give away a PC, reset it to factory settings, which wipes your biometric data along with everything else.
Troubleshooting Windows Hello Problems
Most Windows Hello problems have a simple cause: a missing driver, a wrong setting, or a dirty sensor.
Face sign-in does not recognise you. Make sure nothing is covering the camera, and sit facing the screen. A hat, scarf, or sunglasses can block recognition. If it worked before and stopped, run Improve recognition again.
Face sign-in stopped working after you started wearing glasses. Glasses change how the camera sees your eyes. On the Sign-in options page, click Facial recognition and choose Improve recognition, then run the extra scan while wearing your glasses.
The fingerprint reader does not work after a Windows update. Updates sometimes replace or break the reader’s driver. Open Device Manager, expand Biometric devices, right-click the fingerprint reader, and choose Update driver.
“We couldn’t find a camera compatible with Windows Hello Face.” This message means Windows cannot see an infrared camera. Check that the camera is not disabled in Device Manager, and check for a camera shutter or privacy switch on the laptop. A standard webcam will always give this message, and no driver update can change that.
The Windows Hello options are greyed out on a work or school account. Your organisation’s IT policies can disable face or fingerprint sign-in, or require a specific method. Contact your IT administrator and ask which sign-in methods are allowed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Windows Hello work with a regular webcam? No. Face recognition needs an infrared camera, which uses infrared light to map the shape of your face. A regular webcam only captures a flat colour image.
Is my fingerprint or face data sent to Microsoft? No. Your biometric data is stored on your own PC, protected by the security chip inside the device. It is never uploaded to Microsoft, and Microsoft does not keep a copy.
Can I use Windows Hello with a local account? Yes. Windows Hello works with both Microsoft accounts and local accounts, and the setup is the same either way. The only difference is that a local account has no online “I forgot my PIN” reset link.
Can someone unlock my PC with a photo of my face? No. Because Windows Hello Face uses an infrared camera, it checks the shape and depth of your face, not just a flat image. A photograph has no depth.
Final Thoughts
Windows Hello turns signing in from a chore into something you barely notice. The face camera sees you and lets you in, the fingerprint reader takes a second, and the PIN is there whenever either of those fails. Start with the PIN, because everything else depends on it, then add face sign-in if your PC has an infrared camera, or fingerprint sign-in if it has a reader. Your biometric data stays on your device, your PIN only works on that one PC, and you stop typing a password that could be stolen or reused.
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