Windows Hello, PINs and saved credentials

Skills you'll practise

• Explain why a Windows Hello PIN is tied to one device and its TPM, and what makes it stop working.
• Diagnose an unavailable PIN or biometric sign-in from evidence (TPM status, recent hardware changes, device join state).
• Find and remove stale saved credentials that cause repeated account lockouts.
• Reset a PIN or credential only after verifying the user's identity, without handling their password.

Course outline

1. 1.Windows Hello, PINs and saved credentialsVideo · 5 min
2. 2.How Windows Hello sign-in worksLesson · 8 min
3. 3.When the PIN or biometrics stop workingLesson · 8 min
4. 4.Saved credentials, lockouts and safe resetsLesson · 8 min
5. 5.Windows Hello, PINs and saved credentials: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 19 questions
6. 6.Windows Hello, PINs and saved credentials: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
7. 7.PIN stopped working after a repairScenario
8. 8.Final exam8 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out

Sources it draws on

The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.

• Microsoft Learn: How Windows Hello for Business works
• Microsoft Learn: Windows Hello for Business: why a PIN is better than an online password
• Microsoft Learn: Trusted Platform Module technology overview
• Microsoft Support: Accessing Credential Manager