New iCloud for Windows: are there problems to report?


Not that I can see, I just checked settings afterwards to turn on/off the new features.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PC Specialist Optimus VII V17-960 Gaming Laptop.
    CPU
    6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core processor.
    Memory
    16GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
    Sound Card
    Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2 & Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
    Screen Resolution
    Full HD IPS display (1920 x 1080).
    Hard Drives
    4TB SSD (internal).
    1x 1TB & 1x 5TB external HDDs.
    Cooling
    STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 wireless keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M705 wireless mouse
    Internet Speed
    Upto 100Mbps
    Browser
    Edge.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & MalwareBytes pro.
I was intrigued by the iCloud Passwords App, which presumably would allow me to copy/paste passwords I create on my iPhone into my master KeePass database. It's literally the one thing I could use. Naturally, Apple imposes a catch - it makes you set up Windows Hello. The only option for me is to set up a PIN, but then Windows defaults to signing in with a PIN, and there doesn't seem to be a way to make it default to password, which I want to continue using. So, two questions:

1. After you've set up a PIN for Windows, can you make Windows default to login with a password? (I'm using a local account, so perhaps that is why there is no "Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts" option I've seen in Google results for the search I did)
2. If I make the PIN the same as my password, are there any security implications?

If anyone thought Windows would remember the last method I used to log in and make that the default until I choose another method, let me assure you, this does not happen. Once PIN, always PIN is the Windows way.

ETA: I found the answer to the default sign-in method in the linked tutorial, though the Settings option it refers to, "For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device", doesn't exist for me, and I certainly never set it. However, the netplwiz option "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" was missing for me, and after disabling "passwordless sign-in" per the tutorial, it appeared in netplwiz and was enabled, and now Windows is defaulting to password for signing in. This is all such random nonsense.

 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
I can use a password or PIN but I sign in with a MS account. There’s a setting to only use Windows Hello for signing in which removes the password option with a MS account.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PC Specialist Optimus VII V17-960 Gaming Laptop.
    CPU
    6th Gen Intel Core i7-6700HQ Quad Core processor.
    Memory
    16GB HyperX IMPACT 1600MHz SODIMM DDR3 (2 x 8GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960M - 2.0GB DDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12
    Sound Card
    Intel 2 Channel High Def. Audio + SoundBlaster™ Cinema 2 & Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Optimus Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
    Screen Resolution
    Full HD IPS display (1920 x 1080).
    Hard Drives
    4TB SSD (internal).
    1x 1TB & 1x 5TB external HDDs.
    Cooling
    STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 wireless keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M705 wireless mouse
    Internet Speed
    Upto 100Mbps
    Browser
    Edge.
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender & MalwareBytes pro.
I can use a password or PIN but I sign in with a MS account. There’s a setting to only use Windows Hello for signing in which removes the password option with a MS account.

I posted the resolution at the same time you were posting the above. After setting up a PIN, I could use a password or PIN to login, but there was no way to choose a default, so I'd have to click on the "Sign in options" to switch to password. I'm glad I found this tutorial and its registry hack, because there's no way in the UI to accomplish it. Options that are supposed to exist don't exist in my up-to-date Windows 11 Pro.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
On the plus side, the iCloud Passwords app lets me easily copy passwords into KeePass as I hoped it would. On the minus side, it doesn't clear passwords from the clipboard like KeePass does. That's a pretty bad and not unexpected oversight on Apple's part. lol
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
That’s why I love my Mac!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    macOS Sonoma
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Apple
    CPU
    M1 Max Apple Silicon
    Memory
    32 GB

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 build 10.0.26635.3566 Beta
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 14 5430
    CPU
    Intel i7-1355U
    Motherboard
    Dell 0GMW80
    Memory
    16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell 14" and LG Ultrawide 26"
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 and 2560 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 990 Pro 1TB NVME Gen 4 M.2 SSD
    PSU
    Dell
    Case
    Dell
    Cooling
    Dell
    Keyboard
    Dell KM3322W
    Mouse
    Dell Trackpad or Dell KM3322W
    Internet Speed
    900mb down / 400mb up FTTP
    Browser
    Edge 124.0.2478.67 Beta
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    Windows 365
    1TB OneDrive
    Outlook
    Visual Studio Code
    Visual Studio
    Python 3.12.2
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Update
    MyDell
    Dell SupportAssist
    Dell TB16 Thunderbolt dock
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    Core i5 - 1035G4
    Motherboard
    Microsoft
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Surface touch
    Screen Resolution
    2736 x 1824
    Hard Drives
    128GB
    PSU
    Microsoft
    Case
    Microsoft Keyboard
    Cooling
    None
    Mouse
    Microsoft Arc Intellimouse
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Surface Keyboard
    Internet Speed
    900mb / 400mb FTTP
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender

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