Microsoft To Add Passkey Support With Windows 11

As Microsoft moves towards a safer, passwordless operational environment, it is testing passkey support with Windows 11. The tech giant has enhanced its WebAuthn APIs to accommodate third-party providers.

Microsoft Windows 11 To Feature Passkey Support

Microsoft has announced significant upgrades coming with future Windows 11 stable releases, currently being tested on the insider build. One of the major upgrades is the introduction of passkey support for third-party authentication services on Windows 11.

Windows 11 users will now be able to secure their logins using third-party passkey services in addition to the Windows passkey. This allows users to link these services with Windows Hello for login verifications.

Microsoft has developed a plugin authentication model for passkeys and updated the WebAuthn APIs for the plugin authenticator.

Describing how this will function, the post mentions,

Messages in WebAuthn flows will be sent to the plugin, and responses will be returned to the WebAuthn client applications. This enables plugins to create and authenticate passkeys when requested by the user.

With this upgrade, Microsoft empowers its users, especially Windows 11 users, to enjoy a secure passwordless login experience. Microsoft has already collaborated with services like 1Password and Bitwarden to assist its customers. The coordination with these services was first announced in October when Microsoft introduced a plugin authentication model for passkeys.

Resume Editing Support On OneDrive

Microsoft has also revealed another feature upgrade being tested with the Windows Insider build: the ability to resume editing OneDrive files across devices.

Previously, syncing OneDrive files across devices was possible, but resuming the exact editing state when switching devices was challenging. With the latest upgrade, users can now seamlessly continue editing their files even after switching devices without any interruptions.

This feature operates similar to the “pick up where you left off” option in Microsoft Office products, allowing users to effortlessly continue their editing tasks. Users simply need to remain logged in to their OneDrive accounts on their Windows 11 device and sign in to the account on the second device. Additionally, users must enable this feature when their PC is in a “locked” state. Once unlocked, the user will receive a notification to resume editing on their second device.

This functionality applies to all major Office file formats, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and PDFs.

Microsoft has implemented these changes in the latest Windows 11 Insider Build 22635.4515. Users on this version or higher in the Beta Channel can now experience these new features on their systems.

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