How to create and use a picture password in Windows 10

Windows 10 aims to be the most secure operating system ever created. One of the ways it does that is by letting you use a Microsoft account to authenticate to your computer or device. Unfortunately, passwords for such accounts tend to be long and hard to remember. That’s why Windows 10 also offers other means of authentication, including using a PIN code, a fingerprint, facial recognition, physical security keys, and also picture passwords. The latter is the one that we’re going to talk about in this tutorial. If you want to know the correct order of the steps necessary for creating a Windows 10 picture password, read on:

NOTE: We created this guide using Windows 10 with May 2020 Update. In older versions of Windows 10, things might look different, and some of the features and options we’re going to show you might have different names or might not be available. Before going any further, check your version of Windows 10 and update it if necessary.

What is a Windows 10 picture password?

A picture password is a way of logging into Windows 10 that involves using a picture of your choosing and gestures drawn on that picture, instead of a password. These gestures can be a combination of circles, straight lines, and clicks or taps. The picture password is the combination of three gestures that you perform in a specific order on the picture that you chose for this task.

The picture password is associated with your user account, and you can use it as a replacement for your password. However, you cannot have a user account that logs in to Windows 10 with a picture password and has no password associated with it.

How to enable Windows 10 picture passwords

To create a picture password for your user account in Windows 10, you must first enable this option. Open the Settings app, go to Accounts, and select Sign-in options on the left side of the window. Then, on the right side of the Settings app, you should see several settings and buttons that are related to signing into Windows 10.

As you might have noticed from the previous screenshot, by default, Windows 10 lets you choose between using Windows Hello Face, Windows Hello Fingerprint, Windows Hello PIN, and Security Key. The Windows 10 picture password option is not showing up on that list. That’s because the latest versions of the operating system don’t consider picture passwords to be very secure, so it disables this option. However, if you want to use a picture password, here’s how to enable it:

Scroll down on the Sign-in options page until you reach the area called “Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts.” There, you’re going to find a switch that’s On by default, which says that “For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device (Recommended).” Turn this switch Off.

Then, restart the Settings app and go back to the Sign-in options page from the Accounts section. This time, you should see the Picture Password listed as an option.

How to create a Windows 10 picture password

The next step is to create your Windows 10 picture password. On the Sign-in options page, scroll down to the Picture Password option, click or tap on it, and then push the Add button.

Windows 10 now launches the “Welcome to picture password” wizard. First, you are asked to enter your user account password. Type your password and press OK. If you don’t do this, you cannot create a picture password for your account.

On the left side of the screen, click or tap the Choose picture button.

Browse through your Windows 10 computer or device to find the picture that you want to use. Select it and click or tap on Open.

Once the picture is loaded in the wizard, you can move the picture to the position you want by dragging it with your mouse or finger (if you are using a touchscreen). When done, click or tap on “Use this picture.”

Next, you have to “set up your gestures,” which means that you need to draw three gestures on the picture. They can be lines, taps/clicks, and circles.

Draw the gestures that you want to use and then confirm them. For example, we have drawn a circle and two lines on our sample picture. You can draw any combination of three gestures you prefer.

After drawing the three gestures on the picture, confirm them by redrawing them in the same order as you did the first time.

When you’re done, Windows 10 tells you that you’ve successfully created your picture password. Press Finish.

Back in the Settings app, Windows 10 now tells you also that your picture password was created, and you can use it to “[…] sign in to Windows, apps, and services”.

You can close the Settings window. Read the next section of this tutorial to see how to sign in to Windows 10 using a picture password.

How to sign in to Windows 10 using a picture password

When the sign-in or the lock screen is shown, Windows 10 automatically selects the last used account and the last used login method. If you’ve created a picture password and you never used it to log in, Windows 10 asks you to enter your password. To enter the picture password instead, click or tap on Sign-in options, and then press the picture symbol highlighted below.

Windows 10 then shows you the picture you chose to use for your picture password. Use your mouse or finger to draw the gestures you’ve set, and you are logged into Windows 10.

The next time you’re going to log in to Windows 10, the operating system will ask you for the picture password instead of your user account’s regular password.

Are you using a picture password to sign in to Windows 10?

Now you know how to create a Windows 10 picture password. You also know why the Windows 10 picture password is not showing as an option in the Settings app by default. The question is: are you using a picture password to sign in to your Windows 10 computer or device? Did you have any problems creating one? Get in touch with us by leaving a comment below.

What is a Pic­ture Pass­word and How to Set It Up in Win­dows 10

Prayank

11 May 2017

In addition to the regular password login, Windows offers other security measures like PIN and Picture password to protect your PC against unauthorised access.

Just like a PIN, a picture password can be used as an alternate method to sign into your PC which can be easily accessed via your account options.

If you’re having trouble remembering the long passwords, then picture password is an awesome alternative that suits your needs as well as gets the work done.

Although picture passwords are more fun on touch screen devices, they work just fine on the non-touch screen PCs and Laptops as well.

What is a Picture Password?

Picture passwords allow you to sign in by drawing shapes — straight lines or circles –, tapping on certain spots on the image or by making gestures, all of these are customised by users when setting up the password.

Picture passwords are as secure as your regular password or PIN as the data is stored locally on your PC.

Note that picture passwords do not provide an additional layer of security, rather can be used as an alternative method to sign in to your PC.

Even if you have set up a picture password, you can always log in using your regular password or PIN using the ‘Sign-in options’ button on the login window.

Why Picture passwords then? Just because they make signing in easier and faster.

Using picture password on a touch screen device will smudge the screen over a period of time and might even give away your password to an onlooker.

But this can be avoided by either wiping the screen every time you sign in or else by changing the pattern in your picture password every now and then.

How to Set Up a Picture Password?

First, you need to access Windows Settings — either from the start menu or by using Window+I — and then click on the ‘Accounts’ tab.

On the ‘Accounts’ page, click on ‘Sign-in options’ found on the left-hand side panel.

You’ll find picture password below Password and PIN. Click the ‘Add’ tab below the Picture password header.

Windows will ask you to enter the regular password in a pop-up window to ascertain that the picture password is being added by you.

Enter your credentials and then click on ‘Ok’. The picture password window will appear and next, you need to click on ‘Choose Picture’ button.

Select an image from your PC that you want to use as a background for your picture password. It’s advised to use a high-res full-screen image in order to utilise the password area effectively.

Once you’ve chosen the picture, click on the ‘Use this picture’ button. Now you’ll have to draw three gestures on the image, which can be a combination of circles, straight lines and taps (clicks).

Now the size, direction, position and the order in which you draw gestures here will become your picture password.

You’ll need to redraw the picture password once you’ve completed it to confirm the gestures and order.

You can click on the ‘Start over’ button if you draw any gesture incorrectly in this process and want to rectify it.

After the confirmation is done, click on ‘Finish’ and your new picture password will be activated.

Now you’ll see the picture on the right while signing in and drawing the gestures in the correct order will sign you into your PC.

If there is some issue with the picture password, you can choose to use the regular password or PIN to sign in by clicking on ‘Sign-in options’.

Personal Opinion

Picture passwords are a safe bet too, but in the absence of a touch screen, they seem like more work to me than traditional passwords.

But you should try this on your own to figure out which method is best for you — what’s not a right fit for me just might be the right fit for you.

Last updated on 5 Jul, 2019
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

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How to Set Picture Password in Windows 10

Microsoft is regularly introducing new technologies to make your system more secure and easy to use. As a part of it, Windows 10 contains a lot of cool features that are both fancy and also equally essential for device safety.

If you are one of those who cannot remember tricky passwords, Windows 10 has a Picture Password feature just for you so that you do not compromise on the security of your PC and log in to your system safely.

Microsoft has provided a lot of options for signing in Windows 10 like Alphanumeric password, PIN, biometrics such as face recognition, and fingerprint scanner. Picture Password is one of those. It is the alternative to typing passwords.

Let us discuss what Picture Password is and how to set it up in Windows 10.

What is the Windows 10 Picture password?

Picture Password is one of the many ways to set a security check before login into Windows 10 systems. It is quite similar to Android’s pattern lock. In this, you have to choose an image and the gestures to set it up. The best part is that even though it is touch-friendly, you are not limited to gestures on the touch screen; you can even use a mouse to draw the gestures.

The picture password is not the extra layer of protection. It is just a more comfortable and quicker alternative to regular sign-in methods.

You can choose your favorite image or any picture you like, and then you would be given an option to create three gestures. The gesture can be any combination of circles, straight lines, and taps.

How to setup Picture Password?

Here are the steps to create a Picture Password on the Windows 10 system.

1. The first step is to connect your Microsoft account to your PC
2. Open Settings, and click on the Accounts icon
3. Now select the Sign-in options.
4. Under Sign-in options choose Picture Password
5. Under Picture Password option click on Add button.
6. Enter your Microsoft account password when prompted.
7. From left use Select picture to browse and pick an image to use for password
8. Once you have selected the image, draw three different gestures on the image and repeat them at the exact same spot on the image to save your gesture pattern.

Tips for Creating Strong Picture Password

A Picture Password is undoubtedly a lot more secure than the traditional alphanumeric password or the PIN. No hacker can apply the brute force to crack the picture password. However, it does not mean that it cannot be cracked at all.

If you are using the Picture Password on the touch screen, then because of the oily fingers, the gestures can be easily traced. To protect your screen from unwanted finger imprints, use these methods.

Follow these tips to create a strong Picture Password so that cybercriminals cannot crack it easily.

• Choose a unique image where gestures can be made and remembered easily.
• Use different gestures instead of just tapping. Like circle, cross, and others.
• You can also create gestures like the pattern lock on your phone.
• Touch-screen device users must make sure to clean their screen after applying the pattern.
• Don’t keep the same gesture pattern for long. Keep changing it frequently for more security.

Final Words

This was all about the Picture Passwords. You might have understood that it is an excellent substitute for passwords and PINs. You don’t have to bear the burden of remembering at least one of your passwords. However, as already mentioned, no matter how strong the Picture Password is, it can be decoded by a clever person, if traces are left on the touch screen. So make sure to wipe the screen after applying the gestures.

To unlock your Windows 10 device without a keyboard, you can either go for biometrics such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning or choose to create a Picture Password.

Picture Password is more secure than the traditional password or PIN because the software used by cybercriminals can only crack the alphanumeric password. However, it does not make the Picture Password uncrackable. With the advancement in technology, no security measure is 100% secure.