Microsoft announced today that it is discontinuing the need for passwords on its Microsoft Account. This change will go into effect in late July, 2016. “We are simplifying our sign-in experience and making it easier for you to access your accounts with just your name and email address,” said Microsoft spokesperson Monica Bickert. “This change will make it easier for you to keep your information secure and help us improve the overall user experience.” Microsoft has been encouraging users to switch to using just their name and email address since 2014, but many people were hesitant because they didn’t want to lose their account security or be forced to use a new username and password every time they wanted to access their account. With this change, users will only need their name and email address to sign in, which should make logging in more convenient than ever. If you don’t want your Microsoft Account password to disappear, you can still choose to keep it by signing in with a PIN or using 2-factor authentication. ..
Why Is Microsoft Dropping Passwords?
As mentioned, we’re moving towards a passwordless future, and Microsoft is embracing that by letting you access your account through the Microsoft Authenticator app, Windows Hello, a security key, SMS verification, or email verification code.
RELATED: The Tech Industry Wants to Kill the Password. Or Does It?
All consumer users can get rid of them and lock their accounts down without worrying about their passwords being stolen.
In an interview with The Verge, Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president of Microsoft security, compliance & identity, said, “When you have digital transformation and businesses having to go remote overnight. The number of attack surfaces has increased exponentially, so that was a big driving factor for us in accelerating a lot of our security initiatives.”
As far as how much Microsoft is embracing the passwordless future, Jakkal said, “We have been rolling this out at Microsoft and nearly 100 percent of Microsoft is now passwordless.”
How to Remove Your Microsoft Password
If you want to get rid of your Microsoft password, the process is simple. You simply need to go to your Microsoft account, click “advanced security options,” then “enable passwordless accounts” under the Additional security section. It’s that simple.
