In 2022, Apple and Google began providing support for them.
By assisting in the elimination of passwords, Microsoft is commemorating World Password Day (IT professionals deserve vacations, too!). After nearly two years, the business has finally implemented consumer passkey support for Microsoft accounts. This comes around two years after Apple and Google did the same.
Your face, fingerprints, or the device’s personal identification number (PIN) can be used to login into your Microsoft account once the passkey has been set up. In addition to working on Windows, it is also compatible with the mobile and desktop platforms developed by Apple and Google.
With a passkey, you can access your account in a method that is both simpler and more secure. To ensure that only you are able to enter, they make use of something that is known as a cryptographic key pair. Only through your secure local login will you be able to access the other half of the pair, which is saved on your local device. Another portion remains on the mobile application or website. Both of them being required to sign in serves as a deterrent against potential threats such as the disclosure of passwords and phishing attempts.
organisations such as Amazon, 1Password, Dashlane, Docusign, eBay, PayPal, and WhatsApp are among those that have used passkeys. Apple, Google, and just recently Microsoft are also among the organisations that have adopted passkeys. On Thursday, Google said that its passkeys have now been used one billion times around the Internet.
Beginning today, the passkey support feature is available on desktop applications and websites developed by Microsoft. This includes the Microsoft 365 (Office) suite as well as the company’s Copilot AI assistant. According to the company that makes Windows, support for passkeys in its mobile applications “will follow in the coming weeks.”