Picture Password in Windows 10- Tutorial

Picture Password in Windows 10: Overview

            Windows 10 lets you use a picture password in Windows 10 if you do not wish to use a Microsoft account password to log in to your device. After you have initially signed-in to your device you can then create a picture password in Windows 10 and use that, instead.

            To create a picture password in Windows 10 for your account after initially signing-in to your device, click the “Start” button, if necessary, to display the Start screen or Start menu. If using the Start screen, click the “Nav button” in the upper-left corner of the Navigation Bar to display the Navigation pane. Then, in either the Start screen or Start menu, click the “Settings” command to open the “Settings” window.

            In the “Settings” window, click the “Accounts” button to open the “Accounts” settings window. Click the “Sign-in options” link at the left side of the screen to display your account sign-in options in the area to the right.

            To create a picture password in Windows 10, click the “Add” button under the “Picture password” section. Enter your Microsoft account password into the “Create a picture password” window that appears to verify your credentials and then click the “OK” button to continue. Read the instructions at the left side of the “Welcome to picture password” window. The instructions tell you to choose a picture and then draw directly on your touchscreen to create a combination of circles, straight lines, and taps that you must re-enter on the picture in the future to log-in to your device. The size, direction, and position of the gestures you make on your selected image will become the gestures you must replicate as part of your picture password in Windows 10.

            To select an image, click the “Choose picture” button. In the “Open” dialog box that appears, navigate to the folder that contains the picture you want to use, click it to select it, and then click the “Open” button to continue. In the “How’s this look?” screen, you can click and drag the selected picture to position it the way you want. When it looks good, click the “Use this picture” button to continue. If needed, you can select the “Choose new picture” button to choose a different picture to use.

            After clicking the “Use this picture” button to continue, you draw three gestures on your picture using your touchscreen. You can use either straight lines, circles, or taps. You must remember these gestures, as you must replicate them on the picture in order to log in when using the picture password in Windows 10 in the future! As you make each gesture, the highlighted number at the left side of the screen changes to indicate each gesture as it is created and accepted.

Picture Password in Windows 10- Tutorial: A picture of the “Set up your gestures” screen that is used when creating a picture password in Windows 10.

            After creating the gestures, you must them re-confirm the gestures in the “Confirm your gestures” screen to double-check to confirm the gestures you recorded are the ones you meant to create. After repeating the same sequence of gestures, click the “Finish” button in the “Congratulations!” screen that appears to complete creating your picture password in Windows 10.

            The next time you need to attempt to sign-in to your device after passing the lock screen, you will see your Microsoft user account at the left side of the sign-in screen and your picture password at the right side of the screen. You can click the “Sign-in options” link at the left side of the screen to choose the method you want to use to sign-in by clicking one of the buttons that then appears: “Picture password” or “Microsoft account.”

            If you select “Picture password,” replicate the gestures you created on the image to the right to log in. If you select “Microsoft account,” enter your password to log in within the traditional Windows 10 login screen.

Picture Password in Windows 10: Instructions

1. To create a picture password in Windows for your account after initially signing-in to your Windows 10 device, click the “Start” button, if necessary, to display the Start screen or Start menu.
2. If using the Start screen, click the “Nav button” in the upper-left corner of the Navigation Bar to display the Navigation pane.
3. Then, in either the Start screen or Start menu, click the “Settings” command to open the “Settings” window.
4. In the “Settings” window, click the “Accounts” button to open the “Accounts” settings window.
5. Click the “Sign-in options” link at the left side of the screen to display your account sign-in options in the area to the right.
6. To create a picture password in Windows 10, click the “Add” button under the “Picture password” section.
7. Enter your Microsoft account password into the “Create a picture password” window that appears to verify your credentials and then click the “OK” button to continue.
8. To select an image, click the “Choose picture” button.
9. In the “Open” dialog box that appears, navigate to the folder that contains the picture you want to use, click it to select it, and then click the “Open” button to continue.
10. In the “How’s this look?” screen, you can click and drag the selected picture to position it the way you want.
11. When it looks good, click the “Use this picture” button to continue.
12. If needed, you can select the “Choose new picture” button to choose a different picture to use.
13. After clicking the “Use this picture” button to continue, draw three gestures on your picture using your touchscreen. You can use straight lines, circles, or taps. You must remember these gestures, as you must replicate them on the picture in order to log in when using the picture password in Windows 10 in the future!
14. As you make each gesture, the highlighted number at the left side of the screen changes to indicate each gesture as it is created and accepted.
15. After creating the gestures, you must them re-confirm the gestures in the “Confirm your gestures” screen to double-check to confirm the gestures you recorded are the ones you meant to create.
16. After repeating the same sequence of gestures, click the “Finish” button in the “Congratulations!” screen that appears to complete creating your picture password in Windows 10.
17. The next time you need to attempt to sign-in to your device after passing the lock screen, you will see your Microsoft user account at the left side of the sign-in screen and your picture password at the right side of the screen.
18. To choose the method you want to use to sign-in, click the “Sign-in options” link at the left side of the screen and then choose the sign-in method to use by clicking one of the buttons that then appears: “Picture password” or “Microsoft account.”
19. If you select “Picture password,” replicate the gestures you created on the image to the right to log in.
20. If you select “Microsoft account,” enter your password to log in within the traditional Windows 10 login screen.

Picture Password in Windows 10: Video Lesson

            The following video lesson, titled “Sign-in with a PIN or Picture,” shows you how to create a picture password in Windows 10 and sign-in with a picture password in Windows 10. This video is from our complete Windows 10 training, titled “Mastering Windows Made Easy v.10.”