How to set up Windows Hello to sign in with your face or fingerprint
Windows Hello lets you unlock a PC by looking at it or touching a fingerprint sensor, so you stop typing your password several times a day. The face or fingerprint data stays on the PC itself — it isn't sent to Microsoft. This guide covers Windows 11; both methods need a Windows Hello PIN in place first, and that's included in the steps.
What you'll need: A Windows 11 PC with either a Windows Hello camera or a fingerprint reader. Most laptops sold in the last few years have one or the other, but an ordinary webcam is not enough for face sign-in — it has to be an infrared camera built for Windows Hello. You'll also need your account password to hand, as Windows asks for it once during setup.
Open Settings
Hold down the Windows key and press I. The Settings window opens.
If you'd rather use the mouse, right-click the Start button on the taskbar and click Settings.
Go to Sign-in options
In the list down the left-hand side, click Accounts. Then click Sign-in options in the main part of the window.
Check which methods your PC offers
Under the heading Ways to sign in you'll see a list that includes Facial recognition (Windows Hello), Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello) and PIN (Windows Hello). Click each of the first two to expand it.
If a method reads This option is currently unavailable, the PC doesn't have the hardware for it. Use whichever one offers a Set up button.
Set up a PIN if you don't already have one
Click PIN (Windows Hello). If it shows Set up, click that, then enter your account password when asked. Type a PIN of at least four digits, type it again to confirm, and click OK.
If the PIN section shows Change PIN instead, you already have one. Move on to the next step.
Start the setup for face or fingerprint
Click Facial recognition (Windows Hello) or Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello), whichever your PC supports, then click Set up. A Windows Hello window opens. Click Get started, then enter your PIN when prompted.
Let Windows capture your face
For face sign-in, look straight at the camera. A preview shows what it sees, with a progress indicator beneath. Hold still and keep your face in the frame until it finishes, then click Close.
If you set up a fingerprint instead, skip to the next step.
Or scan your fingerprint
For fingerprint sign-in, touch the sensor with one finger and lift it off again. Repeat when the screen asks, shifting the finger a little each time so it captures the edges as well as the centre. Once the progress indicator fills, Windows offers Add another finger — do that if you like, or click Close.
Test it
Hold down the Windows key and press L to lock the PC. Press any key to reach the sign-in screen, then look at the camera or touch the sensor. The PC should unlock without you typing anything.
If it asks for your PIN instead, it hasn't recognised you this time. Enter the PIN and see Troubleshooting below.
Variations
After face sign-in is set up, the Facial recognition (Windows Hello) section gains an Improve recognition button. Run it once with glasses on and once without, or in the room where recognition keeps failing, and Windows adds that to what it already knows. It doesn't replace the first scan.
A second finger, ideally on the other hand, means a plaster or a cut doesn't lock you out. Click Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello), then Add another finger, and repeat the scanning step.
Click the method under Ways to sign in and then Remove. Windows deletes the stored face or fingerprint data from the PC and goes back to asking for your PIN or password.
Troubleshooting
The PC has neither a Windows Hello camera nor a fingerprint reader, or Windows can't see the one it has. Check for a driver first: go to Settings › Windows Update › Advanced options › Optional updates and install anything listed under driver updates, then restart. If nothing appears, the hardware isn't there. A USB fingerprint reader or an external Windows Hello camera adds it to any PC, and both are sold as such — check the box says Windows Hello, not only "webcam".
Face and fingerprint sign-in can't be set up without a Windows Hello PIN, and some PCs won't let you add one until you've signed in with your password at least once since the last restart. Sign out, sign back in with the password, and try step 4 again.
For face sign-in, run Improve recognition in the conditions where it fails — it's usually a light source behind you or a change of glasses. For fingerprint, wipe the sensor with a dry cloth and make sure your finger is dry too. If a finger fails repeatedly, click Remove and register it again, taking more care to cover the edges during the scan.
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