aka.ms/passkeys explained

Where the link goes

When we checked on 21 October 2026, aka.ms/passkeys forwarded to a Microsoft Support article about signing in with a passkey, which then redirected to the current article Create and save a passkey on support.microsoft.com. It is a help page; you do not sign in on it.

A related short link, aka.ms/addpasskey, works differently. On the same day it forwarded straight to mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info/passkey/register, the page where a work or school account registers a passkey. That page does ask you to sign in, so open it only if you are setting one up yourself.

What a passkey is

Microsoft describes passkeys as a replacement for passwords. Instead of typing a secret, you confirm it is you on your phone or computer with your face, fingerprint or PIN. Behind the scenes, Microsoft explains, your device creates a pair of keys:

• A private key that stays securely on your device or in your password manager.
• A public key that is registered with the website or app.

When you sign in, your device proves it holds the private key by signing a challenge from the site, and the site checks it with the public key. No password travels over the internet. Microsoft also says biometric data stays on your device and is never shared with Microsoft.

Why Microsoft recommends them

• Phishing resistance. Microsoft says passkeys are unique to each website or app and, unlike passwords, are resistant to phishing. A fake sign-in page cannot use a passkey made for the real site.
• Multi-factor in one step. Microsoft considers a passkey a form of multi-factor authentication: something you have (the device) plus something you are or know (biometric or PIN).
• Nothing to remember. There is no password to forget, reuse or write down.

Add a passkey to a personal Microsoft account

For Outlook.com, Xbox, Minecraft and other personal accounts, Microsoft's steps are:

1. Sign in to Advanced security options at account.live.com/proofs/manage, on the device where you want the passkey.
2. Choose Add a new way to sign in or verify.
3. Select Face, Fingerprint, PIN, or Security Key.
4. Follow the prompts on your device and choose where to save the passkey (see below).

Add a passkey to a work or school account

Microsoft notes you can only do this if your organization supports it, and it may limit the options. The steps are:

1. Sign in to Security info at mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info, or use aka.ms/addpasskey.
2. Choose Add sign-in method.
3. Select Passkey, or Passkey in Microsoft Authenticator to store it in the app on your phone.
4. Follow the prompts and complete the save.

This is the same Security info page covered in our aka.ms/mysecurityinfo guide. For the Authenticator option, install the app first; see aka.ms/authapp.

Where you can save a passkey

Microsoft's tip is to use a synced credential manager where possible. If you save a passkey only on one device, create passkeys on your other devices too, so you have a spare.

Signing in with a passkey

Once a passkey is saved, Microsoft says your device prompts you for its usual unlock method whenever you sign in: face, fingerprint or PIN on Windows with Windows Hello, or Face ID, fingerprint or the screen-lock PIN on a phone. There is no password field to fill in.

You can also sign in on a computer that does not hold the passkey. Microsoft describes cross-device sign-in: the computer shows a QR code, you scan it with the phone that holds the passkey, and a proximity check confirms the phone is physically nearby. Microsoft says this check means a passkey cannot be used by a remote attacker far away.

Automatic passkeys in Microsoft Edge

If you save passwords in Microsoft Edge or Microsoft Password Manager, a website may offer to upgrade your sign-in to a passkey, and Microsoft says Edge can sometimes create one automatically for supported sites. The passkey is saved in Microsoft Password Manager and your existing sign-in details stay as they are. To turn this on or off, Microsoft's steps are: open Edge, go to Settings > Passwords and autofill, select Microsoft Password Manager, then More settings, and switch Automatically upgrade to passkeys.

Managing or removing passkeys

Microsoft says passkeys are managed by whichever provider stores them. Passkeys saved on a Windows device are listed in Settings > Accounts > Passkeys, where you can delete one. Passkeys for a personal Microsoft account also appear in Advanced security options at account.live.com/proofs/manage, with where each is saved, when it was last used, and options to rename or remove it. Work or school passkeys appear on the Security info page.

Microsoft's caution: once you remove a passkey you can no longer sign in with it, so add a new method first. If all security information is removed from a personal account, Microsoft says the account is put into a restricted state for 30 days, during which security settings cannot be changed.

If a passkey option is missing

Microsoft says the latest passkey features need Windows 11 and an up-to-date device. On a work or school account, your organization decides whether passkeys are allowed. If you are not prompted to create a passkey on another website, Microsoft says that site does not support passkeys at the moment.

Other sign-in links, such as aka.ms/mfasetup, are listed in our aka.ms links directory.

Sources

• Microsoft Support: Create and save a passkey
• Microsoft Support: What are passkeys and why they matter