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How To Change The Default Sign In Option In Windows 10

Windows 10 offers lots of different ways to secure your system. You can add a PIN, a picture password, your Microsoft account password, use Face detection if you have a supported camera, Dynamic lock, or use a fingerprint reader. Fingerprint readers and face detection i.e. Windows Hello require special hardware which is why the other options are more commonly used. Of these two options, again, the PIN and password are the common ones. You can set a PIN from the Settings app under Accounts>Sign in options. When you set a PIN, it becomes the default sign in option however, you can switch between PIN and password unlock from the lock screen. This is useful in the event you forget your password, or your PIN.

Default Sign In Option

This will work between all types of sign in options that you have configured. If you don’t have an option e.g. picture password, configured, it will not show up as a sign in option.

Lock your screen. Click anywhere or tap the Enter key to go to your log in screen. Here, you will be asked to unlock your system using the default method. If you look closely, you will find two options below the PIN/password field.

One option is for recovering your password, while the other is for ‘Sign in options’. When you click ‘Sign in options’, you will see buttons that represent each type of sign in option you’ve configured. Select the option you want to use, e.g., if you want to use your Microsoft account or local account password, select the button with a cursor. If you want to use your PIN, select the number pad button.

This change is permanent unless you change it back. To change it back, simply lock the screen again, and click Sign in options. Select the default sign in option again, and it will be reset.

Multiple Systems

If you have multiple Windows 10 systems, it might be hard to remember a PIN or password for each one. It’s also a good idea to have a different PIN or password for all your system however, if you ever forget your login information, you don’t want to be locked out of your system. In such a case, you can change what login information you use to get into your system.

For example, if you’ve forgotten your PIN, you can always use your Microsoft account password, or your local account password.

3 Comments

  1. This might work on your computer, but doesn’t even remotely work in general. Face recognition will always come up first if that’s enabled, no matter what else you previously selected.

  2. This is correct but useless. When you use windows hello, for example fingerprint. It will then use hello and when you want to log by keyboard you always need to change by selecting new method. So the default login method changes every time.

    • Yes.. Indeed. I have the same problem. I hope there is a way for my windows to always ask for password every time I want to log in even if I did used fingerprint in the previous log in.