Microsoft introduced that passwordless authentication is now simpler on Home windows 11 via native assist for third-party passkey managers, the primary ones supported being 1Password and Bitwarden.
That is potential after the Home windows safety crew labored along with third-party managers to enhance passwordless authentication by growing a passkey API for Home windows 11.
The new characteristic has been launched with the November 2025 safety replace for Home windows 11, launched yesterday.
Passkeys are a safe authentication mechanism that follows the FIDO2/WebAuthn requirements, using private-public key cryptography for native problem signing and server-side verification, somewhat than passwords.
When customers register on a passkey-enabled website or app, Home windows generates a key pair, with the personal key securely saved on Microsoft Password Supervisor, 1Password, or Bitwarden.
Supply: Microsoft
From then on, when making an attempt to log in on that website or app, a problem is served to Home windows, and the consumer is requested to confirm themselves utilizing Home windows Hiya, which is protected by PIN and biometrics authentication.
The system is taken into account superior to passwords on account of its portability, greater comfort for customers, and immunity to phishing assaults.
Microsoft has been pushing the adoption of passkeys on Home windows, and the addition of third-party app assist by way of the brand new API provides extra flexibility for customers.
Along with the third-party app assist, Microsoft has additionally built-in Microsoft Password Supervisor from Microsoft Edge natively into Home windows as a plugin to permit customers to decide on their passkey supervisor.
Microsoft highlights the next safety advantages for this improvement:
- Passkey creation, authentication, and administration are protected by Home windows Hiya
- Syncing is obtainable throughout Home windows units when signed into Edge with the identical Microsoft account
- Syncing is protected by the supervisor PIN and a cloud enclave
- Azure Managed {Hardware} Safety Modules (HSMs) safeguard encryption keys
- Delicate operations run in Azure Confidential Compute
- Restoration makes use of Azure Confidential Ledger
Supply: Microsoft
Microsoft Edge launched passkey saving and syncing with Microsoft Password Supervisor earlier this month, in model 142 and later, for Home windows 10 and above.
Bitwarden has supported passkey storage and administration since November 2023 and launched “Log in with Passkeys” in January 2024.
The favored password supervisor introduced the Home windows 11 integration by way of an replace on its authentic characteristic launch announcement, noting that its system-level integration on the OS is presently at beta stage.
Which means there could also be useful limitations or potential instability till ample broad-scale testing and bug fixing occurs.
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