The PIN is a very powerful authentication medium on Windows 10. It helps in faster log in into a Windows 10 computer. Windows 10 can store from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 50 PINs. This can lead to extended security of a computer and a user cannot use the PINs used earlier to log in to a computer. In this post, we will show you how to enable or disable PIN History on Windows 10.
Enable or disable PIN History on Windows 10
There are two methods by which one can enable or disable PIN history on Windows 10:
- Using Registry Editor.
- Using the Group Policy Editor.
1] Using Registry Editor
Open the Windows 10 Registry Editor. and navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PassportForWork\PINComplexity
Set the Value data for History DWORD from 0 to 50. Make sure that the base value is set to be Decimal.
When you are done, just reboot your computer.
That’s it!
When you want to disable this feature, just delete the History DWORD.
2] Using the Group Policy Editor
Open the Group Policy Editor and navigate to this path:
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\PIN Complexity
Look for History.
The description for this policy states:
This setting specifies the number of past PINs that can be associated to a user account that can’t be reused. This policy enables administrators to enhance security by ensuring that old PINs are not reused continually. PIN history is not preserved through PIN reset. The value must be between 0 to 50 PINs. If this policy is set to 0, then storage of previous PINs is not required. Default: 0.
Double click on the entry to modify it. Select the radio button as Enabled.
For the number field for PIN History, select a value from 0 to 50.
It is worth noting that 0 is the default value for the policy.
Select Apply and then select OK.
Reboot your computer for the changes to take place.
I hope this guide helped you in learning how to enable or disable PIN history on Windows 10
