When you decide to protect your computer running on Windows 10, Microsoft provides you with some options and methods to achieve this goal of protecting your computer and its data from intruders or in case of loss. You can protect it using a Microsoft account password, a PIN code, using an image as a password, or using a fingerprint reader and facial recognition “Windows Hello”. However, the common and most used methods are password and PIN code. If you want to protect your computer and don’t know which one to trust more, I will tell you that it is advisable to use a PIN code. In this topic, we will review the reasons for this.
First of all, you should consider that if you are using Windows 10 with a local account and not a Microsoft account, you will not be able to use the PIN protection method. This method is only available to those who have a Microsoft account linked to Windows 10. We have previously discussed 7 reasons why you should create a Microsoft account for Windows 10, where we explained how to create the account and link it to Windows. After taking this step, you will be able to protect your computer with a PIN, and here are the reasons that encourage you to use this method instead of using a password.
Update as of 2017/1/2: You can use a PIN without a Microsoft account only if the local account on your computer is protected by a password.
– According to Microsoft, using a PIN code is more secure than passwords for computer protection for several reasons. One of the reasons is that if someone sees your PIN code, which is a series of numbers, they can access and use Windows on your computer, but not fully. This person will need your Microsoft account password to change settings or take admin privileges. This indicates that using a PIN code does not provide full protection, but at least it reduces the harm that someone else can do.
– There is another reason why you should consider using a PIN code instead of a password. Passwords are often easy to guess or hack through guessing methods. Some people write their name backwards or their favorite elements, making it easier to crack a password. On the other hand, a PIN code is harder to guess, especially because it consists of numbers. You can set a series of secret numbers that mean something important to you, but try to avoid easy numbers like phone numbers or birthdates. There will be no difference between using a password or a PIN code.
– Let me tell you another reason for using a PIN code instead of a password. Using a PIN code makes the login process much faster. Once you enter the PIN code, you will directly go to the desktop without clicking the Enter button. This reason may not be the fastest login method, but I will tell you about situations you may have experienced when using a password to log into Windows.
For example, if there are two or more language options on the keyboard, like Arabic and English, sometimes when entering the password, you may discover after several attempts that you typed it in the wrong language. You will have to retype it after selecting the correct language, especially if the password is long and you are in a hurry to use the computer.
The Caps Lock key is one of the annoying keys on the keyboard! Sometimes you rewrite the password correctly several times, and Windows tells you it is wrong because the Caps Lock is activated, which turns letters into capital letters. Windows warns you that the Caps Lock is on, but some may ignore it and continue retyping the password. However, all these problems will not occur when using a PIN code.
– After setting your PIN code, you will see three options in the PIN section. Through Change, you can change the code if you discover someone knows it, or Remove to make the login method using the password only and remove the PIN code. By clicking on I forgot my PIN, you can use it in case you forget the PIN, where it will ask you to enter your Microsoft account password to reset a new PIN code.
