How to set Windows Hello default to FACE not PIN.

caseym54 · 29 Oct 2023

One of the things about face recognition is that I should not have to use the keyboard or mouse to have it work. OTehrwise I might as well just use a pin.

But Windows seems to want to use PIN by default and I have to click several times on the screen to evade the PIN and select camera every time I get a Windows Security popup (my password manager does this every so often to ensure I haven't left it unlocked). It's one of those stupid things that gets annoying.

I've seen a registry hack for this, but it doesn't do anything for me.

Windows 10Pro 22H2 19045.3570

hsehestedt · 31 Oct 2023

I'm running Windows 11 rather than 10 so I can't actually try this, but chat in Bing is telling me to do this:

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To set facial recognition as the default sign-in option in Windows Hello, please follow these steps:

Open Settings by clicking on the Start menu and selecting the gear icon.
Click on Accounts.
Select Sign-in options from the left-hand menu.
Under Windows Hello, click on Set up for Face.
Follow the prompts to set up facial recognition.
Once you have set up facial recognition, click on Require sign-in under Sign-in options.
Select Never under Require sign-in.
After completing these steps, your device should default to facial recognition as the sign-in option.

Please note that if you have a PIN set up, you will still be able to use it as an alternative sign-in option.
========================

Please let me know if this helps!

cereberus · 31 Oct 2023

hsehestedt said:

I'm running Windows 11 rather than 10 so I can't actually try this, but chat in Bing is telling me to do this:

========================
To set facial recognition as the default sign-in option in Windows Hello, please follow these steps:

Open Settings by clicking on the Start menu and selecting the gear icon.
Click on Accounts.
Select Sign-in options from the left-hand menu.
Under Windows Hello, click on Set up for Face.
Follow the prompts to set up facial recognition.
Once you have set up facial recognition, click on Require sign-in under Sign-in options.
Select Never under Require sign-in.
After completing these steps, your device should default to facial recognition as the sign-in option.

Please note that if you have a PIN set up, you will still be able to use it as an alternative sign-in option.
========================

Please let me know if this helps!

@caseym54

Bear in mind facial recognition requires an infrared capable camera on laptop. It will not work with standard laptop cameras or an external camera even if ir capable.

My works pc has it and it is great. Regrettably my personal laptop does not have an ir capable camera.

caseym54 · 31 Oct 2023

I was hoping to get an answer from someone who actually knows. Sending me your first Google search result is not that helpful. I can use Google, too. Also, I have facial recognition working just fine. What I don't have is a way to correct a poor choice of a Microsoft default setting.

The problem is this:

How to set Windows Hello default to FACE not PIN.-windows-security-1.png

Then

How to set Windows Hello default to FACE not PIN.-windows-security.png

Using various "Passwordless" options, Windows Security demands that I choose the option I want, and defaults to the one that requires keypresses/mouse actions instead of the one that doesn't. They insist you HAVE a PIN as a fall-back, but they really should not insist on that as the default.

So, to use facial recognition, I still have to use the mouse or keyboard to correct the poor default choice. It's maddening. Just using the PIN is actually easier than drilling down to the facial rec.

And no, the registry hack doesn't work either. Gah. I suspect that the answer is "you can't."

dalchina · 31 Oct 2023

FWIW this seems to confirm that:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...a-4399b2e997c2