Replace the traditional Windows 10 unlock password with a PIN that’s easier to remember and faster to enter.
When setting up Windows 10 for the first time, you are asked to create a login password in order to protect access to your machine by locking the screen. This more or less complex password can prove to be restrictive in the long run, especially if you have become accustomed to locking your screen every time you leave your PC using the Windows + L shortcut.
Windows offers other methods, often simpler, to unlock your session. While it may appear to be less secure, the simple PIN code (with numbers) has the advantage of being easier to enter to quickly unlock your session. Here’s how to activate it, in addition to the password lock system.
1. Open settings
Click on the Start menu and go to the Settings of Windows 10. Enter the Accounts options, and go to the Connection options menu.
2. Add a PIN
Click Windows Hello PIN, and then click the Add button.
Enter the password for your account and confirm by pressing OK.
A window used to Configure a confidential code is displayed. Using the number keys on your keyboard, set a confidential code.
You must enter at least 4 digits, but it is quite possible, and even recommended, to configure a PIN code with a larger number of digits.
Confirm your confidential code by entering it a second time and validate it by clicking on OK.
3. Unlock your session
To verify that your PIN code is working correctly, lock your session using the Windows + L keyboard shortcut. Then bring up the Windows unlock screen.
By default, the operating system now asks you to enter the previously configured PIN code. You can, however, continue to enter your password, if you wish, by opening the Connection options and then clicking on the icon with a key, to enter your usual password.