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Microsoft is killing SMS codes for Microsoft account sign-in, aggressively pushes passkeys on Windows 11
(www.windowslatest.com)
this post was submitted on 19 May 2026
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SMS mfa is so bad. Killing it off is worth the cost.
the extra work this will no-doubt create for me might pay the rent for a couple months. but still, i'd rather it be opt-in, not forced upon users or them being tricked into it.
Passkeys are objectively better. They close the phishing attack vector. Depending on the site they remove the need to use a password at all. Different sites do different things.
I think most people do not like them because the default is to let your OS store them, device locked, in a TPM.
More password managers need to support them. I store all mine in Bitwarden although given what seems to be going on there I don’t think I can recommend them anymore.
a password, and the concept, are also easier to comprehend. passkeys for most is just fairy dust and magic.
another consideration is something you have or something you are are different from something you know. phishing and hackers or scammers are not the only dangers to protect yourself from.
I suspect this is why Microsoft is forcing users into it. Not that I agree with or am defending that decision.
I can't stand being forced into magic link email logins which are designed to also deal with phishing. Takes longer to login compared to Passwords+TOTP or Passkeys and email isn't exactly private for the majority.
They aren't magic. Its the same cryptographic signature primitive seen in applications like PGP or blockchains/cryptocurrencies.
I agree to most users they feel magical and are more difficult to reason about. You still "have" a private key stored on the device, but its invisible to the user, so it's not something you "know".
Yeah I need to check out vaultwarden. Huge disappointment as its been a great product, but I'm not liking where the recent website changes are heading.
My passkeys are stored on my phone, I just scan a QR code and they’re sent over to the PC for that login. I’ve never seen the default on Windows be anything but this.
Not really comparable. Passkeys don't replace 2FA. You need to bootstrap passkeys with 2FA.
Google allows for them to be used for 2FA.
You can use them for the password also which I didn't know. You have to choose sign in another way to get the option.
That's after you already have a passkey. I don't think you can create a passkey without a different form of 2FA. At least...you shouldn't be able to, because that would kind of defeat the purpose.
Provided the website implements some sort if TOTP, otherwise they just want you to add another app to your phone. I'd be fine with MS's bs authenticator if it would work without network access.
Oops added my own comment didn't see that, but yeah you can use whatever authenticator you want with it although they suggest their own or used to. Recent changes to their authenticator recently could have removef TOTP.
I'm just not a fan of giving them another datapoint. Between me, microsoft, and the government in the room, we're all systems, let's swap secrets and I'll generate my own code instead of them sending it to me. Just seems safer all around, but I'm resistant to change sometimes. For now TOTP still works with most of my MS accounts, one is forced to a damn yubikey though (not really against a hardware token but sometimes use can be limited).
Honestly I love my yubikey and I prefer it to passkeys any day of the week. Proton pass made passkeys less annoying, but I still hate them.
Bullshit. Killing off SMS mfa just forces everyone into walled gardens
Only if they are getting rid of one time code style applications as well. As of today I am still able to use my non Microsoft fully open source authenticator (aegis).