How to Add a Picture Password to your Account in Windows 10
You can sign in to your PC with a picture password. You choose the picture and the three gestures you use with it to create a password that's uniquely yours. When you have chose a picture, you "draw" with the mouse, touchpad, or pin/finger on a touchscreen to create a combination of circles, straight lines, and taps. The size, position, and direction of your gestures become part of your picture password.
This tutorial will show you how to add a picture password to your account in Windows 10.
Enabling passwordless sign-in will remove the password and picture password sign-in options for all Microsoft accounts on the sign-in screen and in Accounts > Sign-in options > Settings.
You can create a picture password for a local account and Microsoft account.
A local account must have a password to be able to add a picture password. A Microsoft account will be password protected by default.
By default, PCs joined to a domain can sign in using a picture password unless disabled via policy.
You can click/tap on the Sign-on options link on the Sign-in screen to change what (ex: Picture password, password, PIN, Face, Fingerprint) to use to sign-in to your account with.
When you boot to Safe Mode, you will only be able to sign in with your account's password, and not with any other sign-in option.
EXAMPLE: Picture password on Sign-in screen
Here's How:
1 Open Settings, and click/tap on the Accounts icon.
2 Click/tap on Sign-in options on the left side, click/tap on Picture password on the right side, and click/tap on the Add button. (see screenshot below)
3 Enter your account's password to verify it's you, and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)
4 Click/tap on Choose picture in the left pane. (see screenshot below)
5 Navigate to and select the picture file you want to use, and click/tap on Open. (see screenshot below)
6 Drag your picture to position it the way you want, and click/tap on Use this picture when finished. (see screenshot below)
If you want to use a different picture, then click/tap on Choose new picture and repeat step 5 above until you have a picture you want to use.
7 Draw the first gesture on your picture. (see screenshot below)
You can use any combination of circles, straight lines, and taps.
If you make a mistake, then you can click/tap on Start over to return to step 7.
8 Draw the second gesture on your picture. (see screenshot below)
You can use any combination of circles, straight lines, and taps.
If you make a mistake, then you can click/tap on Start over to return to step 7.
9 Draw the third gesture on your picture. (see screenshot below)
You can use any combination of circles, straight lines, and taps.
If you make a mistake, then you can click/tap on Start over to return to step 7.
10 You will now need to repeat steps 7 to 9 above to draw the same three gestures again to confirm them. (see screenshot below)
11 If successful, click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)
12 Your picture password has now been added as a sign-in option. You can now close Settings if you like.
That's it,
Shawn
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