How to Switch from PIN to Password Login on Windows

By default, Windows 11 is now PIN based login which is good for additional security features. However sometimes for specific use cases (like recovering passwords using All-In-One External Drive Password Pro), you may need to switch to password login mode.

This article quickly shows you how to easily switch from PIN to Password mode on Windows 11/10. First, you need to disable the “only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts” setting, then go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and click the Remove button under PIN.

You will need to enter your account password to confirm the removal. If a password is not yet set up, you will need to add one first.

Below are detailed steps (here is quick 1 minute video link)

Step 1:  Disable Passwordless Sign-in

• Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
• Scroll down to Additional settings.
• Turn the toggle for “For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device” to Off.
• You may need to restart your computer for this change to take effect.

Step 2: Remove the PIN

• Open Settings by pressing Windows + I or searching for it in the Start menu.
• Click on Accounts in the left-hand menu.
• Select Sign-in options on the right.
• Find the PIN option and click the Remove button. If the option is grayed out, ensure you first turned off the passwordless setting in the step 1.
• You will be prompted to enter your account password to confirm. Click OK or Yes to complete the removal.

That’s all, now you can login with your password instead of PIN.