How to set up fingerprint or face sign-in on Windows 11

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open Settings, click Accounts, then Sign-in options. Under Ways to sign in, click Fingerprint recognition or Facial recognition, click Set up and follow the steps. The PC needs a fingerprint reader or an infrared camera, and you set a PIN as a fallback.

Windows Hello lets you sign in with your finger or your face instead of typing a password. It is quicker, and nobody can watch you type. Whether you can use it depends on the hardware of the PC.

These steps are for Windows 11. The pictures are simplified diagrams of the Settings window, not screenshots, so colours and spacing on your PC look a little different.

Step by step

  1. – ▢ ✕SettingsSystemBluetooth & devicesNetwork & internetAppsAccountsTime & languageAccessibilityWindows UpdateAccountsYour infoSign-in optionsFamilyOther users

    Open Settings and click Accounts

    Press Windows + I. Then click Sign-in options.

  2. – ▢ ✕SettingsSystemBluetooth & devicesNetwork & internetAppsAccountsTime & languageAccessibilityWindows UpdateSign-in optionsFacial recognitionFingerprint recognitionPINSecurity key

    Look under Ways to sign in

    The list shows Facial recognition (Windows Hello), Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello) and PIN (Windows Hello). An option your PC does not support says so.

  3. Click the option, then Set up

    Click Get started and confirm with your PIN or password. If you have no PIN yet, Windows asks you to create one first.

  4. Fingerprint: touch the reader repeatedly

    Lift and place the same finger again and again, with slightly different parts of the fingertip, until Windows says it is done.

  5. Face: look at the camera

    Sit in front of the screen at normal distance and look straight at it until the scan finishes.

  6. Try it out

    Lock the PC with Windows + L. Touch the reader or look at the screen to sign in.

Good to know

Facial recognition needs a camera with infrared, which many laptops built for Windows Hello have. An ordinary webcam is not enough. Fingerprint readers and compatible cameras can also be bought as USB accessories.

The PIN stays as the fallback if the finger is wet or the light is poor. How to change it: how to change your PIN on Windows 11.

You can add more fingers in the same place, for example one of each hand. If you wear glasses, the face option offers Improve recognition to scan again with and without them.

A Windows Hello PIN belongs to one device. Someone who learns it cannot use it to get into your Microsoft account from elsewhere.

In short: Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, Fingerprint or Facial recognition, Set up.

Sources
  • Microsoft Support: Configure Windows Hello

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