Microsoft introduces a new sign-in process that doesn't need any passwords

The Microsoft Entra team has announced a new user experience for consumer authentication, aiming to make sign-in processes more modern, simple, and secure.

Announced in a blog post, the updated sign-in and sign-up flows for Microsoft accounts use the Fluent two design language. This ensures a seamless transition between authentication and product experiences, creating a consistent and visually appealing interface. The new design is optimized for various devices, from large desktop monitors to mobile screens, and one of the most requested features, Dark Mode, is now available for most sign-in screens. It will first appear in gaming apps, with plans to expand to other consumer apps.

The number of steps and concepts per screen has been reduced to lower the cognitive load and speed up the authentication process. Steps have also been reordered for a more logical flow. Changes have been made to reduce user errors and improve account recovery options, making it easier for users to regain access to their accounts if needed.

The new design emphasizes the Microsoft brand, with a consistent background image and centered Microsoft logo, moving away from the product-centric designs of the past, as you can see in the featured image above.

These updates aim to provide a more intuitive and user-friendly authentication experience for over a billion Microsoft account users worldwide, and it should be rolled out entirely by the end of April. Another interesting thing about the new sign-in process is the emphasis on passwordless ways to do it.

The Redmond-based tech giant has been teasing out this sort of sign-in experience for quite a while, but it seems that the company is ready to make it the default experience.

Streamlining the authentication UX design allowed us to rethink the default experiences for sign in, putting even greater emphasis on usability and security. Over the last few years, we’ve introduced several enhancements, including the ability to completely remove the password from your account and support for passkey sign in instead of using a password. Our new UX is optimized for a passwordless and passkey-first experience. 

The full announcement has more details.