Microsoft’s new “passwordless by default” is great but comes at a cost

The move is part of an industry-wide push for users to adopt passkeys.

May 2, 2025 - 21:48

Microsoft’s new “passwordless by default” is great but comes at a cost

Microsoft says it’s making passwordless logins the default means for signing in to new accounts, as the company helps drive an industry-wide push to transition away from passwords and the costly security problems they have created for companies and their users.

A key part of the “passwordless by default” initiative Microsoft announced on Thursday is encouraging the use of passkeys—the new alternative to passwords that Microsoft, Google, Apple, and a large roster of other companies are developing under the coordination of the FIDO Alliance.

Going forward, Microsoft will make passkeys the default means for new users to sign in. Existing users who have yet to enroll a passkey will be presented with a prompt to do so the next time they log in.

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