Читать книгу Windows 11 All-in-One For Dummies - Ciprian Adrian Rusen - Страница 71

Everybody has PIN codes for ATM cards, telephones, just about everything.

Reusing PIN codes on multiple devices (and credit cards) is dangerous — somebody looks over your shoulder, watches you type your Windows 11 PIN, and then lifts your wallet. Such nefarious folks can have a good time, unless the PINs are different. Word to the wise, eh?

PINs have lots of advantages over passwords and picture passwords. They’re short and easy to remember. Fast. Technically, though, the best thing about a PIN is that it’s stored on your computer — it’s tied to that one computer, and you don’t have to worry about it getting stored in some hacked database or stolen with your credit card numbers. In Windows 11, the PIN is part of Windows Hello, Microsoft’s service for secure authentication options, which improves with each major update. More on that in the next section of this chapter. For now, realize that creating a PIN is easy. Here’s how to do it:

1 Click or tap the start icon, the Settings icon, and then Accounts.

2 On the right, choose Sign-In Options.The sign-in settings for your account appear, as shown in Figure 2-7.

3 Click or tap PIN (Windows Hello) and then Set Up.Windows 11 asks you to verify your user account password.

4 Type your password and then click or tap OK.Windows 11 gives you a chance to type your PIN, as shown in Figure 2-8, and then retype it to confirm it. Note: Most ATM PINs are four digits, but you can go longer, if you want — Windows 11 can handle any PIN you can throw at it.

5 Type your PIN, confirm it, and click or tap OK.You can include letters and symbols in your PIN, not just digits.The PIN is set and you can log in with it.

FIGURE 2-7: The sign-in options available in Windows 11.

FIGURE 2-8: Creating a PIN is easy.

Windows 10 offered picture passwords too. However, most people didn’t use them, and they were also not that secure. Therefore, in Windows 11, Microsoft decided to hide them by default. They still exist, but you must jump through some hoops to enable them. I don’t like them, and I think that logging in with a PIN or Windows Hello is a lot faster and safer.