How many times have you upgraded a laptop and immediately lost access to something important?

Passkeys were supposed to fix the password problem. And they do, mostly. They let you log in using your face, fingerprint, or a PIN instead of remembering yet another string of random characters. No passwords to forget, nothing to type, nothing for someone to steal.

But there’s been one glaring issue. Passkeys were stored on your device. Lose that device, upgrade to a new one, or forget to back them up, and you’re locked out.

That’s now been fixed.

What’s changed

Microsoft has rolled out an update to Edge that lets you sync passkeys across devices through your Microsoft Account.

Your passkeys are stored securely in the cloud via Microsoft Password Manager, protected by your account credentials and an additional PIN. Sign in on any Windows 11 PC with your Microsoft Account, and your passkeys are already there waiting.

No manual transfers. No backup files to remember. No panic when someone’s laptop gives up.

How passkeys actually work

If you haven’t used them yet, passkeys replace passwords entirely. Instead of typing something you have to remember, your device confirms your identity using built-in security like Face ID, a fingerprint scanner, or a PIN.

Behind the scenes, they use something called the FIDO2 standard. This ties your login credentials directly to your device and the service you’re signing into. There’s no password sitting in a database somewhere waiting to be stolen, and no phishing link that can trick you into handing it over.

Is syncing them safe?

Yes. Microsoft has confirmed that synced passkeys are fully encrypted in the cloud with multiple layers of protection. It’s just as secure as storing them locally, but far more practical when your team uses multiple devices or needs to switch hardware.

Why this matters for businesses

Passwords cause problems. People forget them, reuse them, write them on sticky notes, and fall for phishing emails asking them to “verify” their login.

Every password reset is a support ticket. Every weak password is a risk.

Passkeys remove most of that. And now that they sync properly, there’s no downside to using them.

For teams already using Microsoft 365, this slots in without any extra setup. It just works.

What to do next

Passkeys are available now on Windows 11, with Mac and mobile support coming soon. Next time Edge asks if you want to save a passkey, say yes. It’s one less thing for your team to remember and one less way for someone to get locked out.

If you’re looking at how passkeys and passwordless login could work across your business, we’re happy to talk it through.

Contact us or fill out the form below.