Hey,
Everyone keeps saying the Windows Hello PIN is “more secure” than a normal password. But doesn’t a password usually have more characters, symbols, and overall complexity? Wouldn’t that technically make it stronger? I’m not fully convinced why a shorter PIN would be better.
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I get it why that feels counterintuitive. Recently I found my peace while searching for the answer. Lemme segregate it for you, so you can see it a bit clearly.
A password is tied to your “Microsoft” account. That means it can be used outside your device, on Outlook, OneDrive, the web, another PC, anywhere. Because it travels over the network, it’s more vulnerable to phishing or interception. Complexity matters there.
But when it comes to Windows Hello PIN, it is device-bound. It never leaves that specific machine. It’s stored securely in the TPM chip, and authentication happens locally using cryptographic keys. Even if someone somehow gets your PIN, it’s useless without that exact device. So, it somehow saves your account, or anything related to it over the network.
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