Unable to disable windows hello.

Question

I have turned off face recognition and finger print options for windows hello. when i try to turn off the pin, the remove button is greyed out but everything else is shut off. i do not want a pin to be required to unlock my computer.

Answer 1

Try changing your account password, the PIN should be automatically removed and you can keep using new password to login.

Answer 2

Hello,

First, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign in options, scroll down to mid page, under "Additional Settings",Make sure "For improved security, only allow Windows Hello Sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device (Recommended). " is turned OFF.

Then restart the computer, see if you can now turn off/remove PIN.

Answer 3

Windows Hello always requires at least one secure sign-in method (PIN, fingerprint, or face). On Windows 11, if fingerprint and facial recognition are turned off, the PIN usually cannot be removed because it is the remaining Windows Hello method and is required for features like device encryption and certain security policies.

To manage what is used to unlock the device:

1. Open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
2. Under Facial recognition (Windows Hello) and Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello), make sure they are removed/turned off.
3. Under PIN (Windows Hello), the Remove button will be unavailable if Windows requires a Hello method. In that case, the PIN cannot be disabled; it remains the primary sign-in method instead of a password.

If the goal is to avoid using biometrics, keep face and fingerprint removed and use only the PIN. Fully reverting to password-only sign-in is not supported when Windows Hello is enforced by the system or security features.

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References:

• Sign-In Options in Windows