Microsoft is removing some passwords: here’s what it means for you

Microsoft officially allows consumers to completely ditch their personal account passwords.

The tech giant has created a password-less login for users, which means they will no longer need to enter a password to access a Microsoft account, said Vasu Jakkal, vice president of Microsoft Security, Compliance and Identity, in a blog post Wednesday.

As of March, the company has offered passwordless login for commercial accounts, “bringing the functionality to businesses around the world,” Jakkal said.

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Now any user will be able to use the Microsoft Authenticator app, Windows Hello, a security key, or verification code that will be sent to a phone or email to sign in to any Microsoft app or service.

It will be deployed over the next few weeks, according to Jakkal.

Passwords have been “the most important layer of security” to protect everything from a user’s emails to bank accounts, shopping carts and even video games, Jakkal said.

Users are “supposed to create complex and unique passwords, remember them and change them frequently, but no one likes to do that either,” Jakkal said. Otherwise, users are left with weak passwords which become the “entry point for the majority of attacks on corporate and consumer accounts,” he added.

Jakkal noted that there are around 579 password attacks every second, which equates to 18 billion attacks every year.

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To pass without a password, users will need to install the Microsoft Authenticator app and link it to a personal Microsoft account. Users will then need to sign in to a Microsoft account and choose “Advanced security options”. They will have to click on “Account without password” and select “Activate”.

Users will need to follow the on-screen prompts and then they will need to approve the notification from the Authenticator app.

Users can always revert to using a password, although Jakkal suggested that once someone tries to log in without a password, “I don’t think you would want to go back” .