In addition to the regular login password, Windows offers other security measures such as PIN and picture password to protect your PC from unauthorized access.
Like a PIN, a picture password can be used as an alternative way to sign in to your PC, easily accessible through your account options.
If you have trouble remembering long passwords, Picture Password is a fantastic alternative that fits your needs and gets the job done.
Also Read: How To Use Picture Password In Windows 8?
While picture passwords are more fun on touchscreen devices, they also work well on non-touchscreen PCs and laptops.
What is the picture password?
Picture passwords let you log in by drawing shapes, straight lines or circles, touching certain points on the picture or making gestures, all customized by users when sets a password.
Picture passwords are just as secure as your normal password or PIN, because the data is stored locally on your PC.
Also Read: Crack Windows 10 Account Password: Is It Still Possible? How can it be avoided?
Please note that picture passwords do not provide an additional layer of security, but can instead be used as an alternative method of logging into your PC.
Even if you set up a picture password, you can always log in with your regular password or PIN using “Login Options” in the login window.
Why password pictures then? Simply because they make logging in easier and faster.
Using a picture password on a touch screen device will wipe the screen for a period of time and may even reveal your password to a bystander.
But this can be avoided by clearing the screen every time you log in or by changing your picture password pattern from time to time.
How to set a photo password?
First, you need to access the Windows settings, either from the start menu or using Window+I, and then click on the ‘Accounts’ tab.
On the ‘Accounts’ page, click on ‘Login Options’ located on the left side of the panel.
You can find the password for the image under Password and PIN. Click the ‘Add’ tab under the image password header.
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Windows will ask you to enter the normal password in a popup window to make sure you add the image password.
Enter your credentials and then click ‘OK’. The image password window will appear, and then you need to click on the “Select Image” button.
Select a photo from your PC that you want to use as the background for your photo password. It is recommended to use a high resolution full screen image to effectively use the password area.
Once you’ve selected your image, click the ‘Use this image’ button. Now you need to draw three gestures on the picture, which can be a combination of circles, straight lines and touches (clicks).
Now the size, direction, position and order you draw the gestures on it will become your image password.
You will need to redraw the picture password once you have completed it to confirm the moves and order.
You can click the ‘Restart’ button if you draw any moves incorrectly in this process and want to correct it.
Once the confirmation is complete, click ‘Done’ and your new picture password will be activated.
You will now see the image on the right while you are logged in and drawing the gestures in the correct order will launch you into your PC.
If there is a problem with the image password, you can choose to use the normal password or PIN to log in by clicking on ‘Login Options’.
Also Read: Surprisingly, this is the most common password of 2016.
Personal opinion
Photo passwords are also a safe bet, but in the absence of a touch screen, I find they work better than traditional passwords.
But you should try it yourself to know which method is best for you; what is not right for me may be right for you.