Passkeys added for Word, Excel on consumer Microsoft accounts – 9to5Mac

We’re getting closer every day to a password-free future. Less than two years after Apple launched passkeys with iOS 16 and macOS 13, more and more companies continue adding support. Following in the footsteps of Amazon and Nintendo, among others, today Microsoft announced that passkey support is rolling out for all its consumer accounts across Apple platforms, Windows, and Google products.

Users of Word, Excel, and the host of other popular products requiring Microsoft sign-in will be able to authenticate using simple biometric tools like Face ID or Touch ID.

Convenient logins to Microsoft products

Passkey setup is quick and convenient, as Microsoft outlines in its announcement post:

On the device where you want to create the passkey, follow this link, and choose the face, fingerprint, PIN, or security key option. Then follow the instructions on your device.

Once a passkey has been set up for your Microsoft account, you’ll be able to easily log in to apps like Word, OneNote, and Outlook using biometric authentication. A quick Face ID scan on iPhone or iPad, or Touch ID on the Mac, beats the kind of friction that comes from entering a username and password over and over again across a family of apps.

Microsoft’s consumer products have a massive user base, so it’s great to see the company bring passkey support to its entire lineup of offerings. Passwords are one of the modern tech realities that everyone has to deal with, but most people don’t know how to handle well. Sometimes that means weak passwords, or repeated ones, or even sticky note security vulnerabilities.

In any case, there’s clearly a better way for users to keep their data secure, and passkeys have proven to be that superior option.