When you want to use your Surface, you’ll need to sign in. Find out about your options for signing in to and out of your Surface, including switching accounts and unlocking the screen.
Important: If you're trying to sign in to your Surface but can't remember your password, you can reset your password.
Sign in
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Dismiss the lock screen by swiping up from the bottom edge of the screen or by pressing a key if you have a Surface Type Cover or keyboard attached.
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If prompted, enter the password for your user account.
Notes:
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If you can’t enter your password, see What to try if your Surface touchscreen doesn't work or Troubleshoot Surface Type Cover or Keyboard for help.
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If you're locked out of your Surface and need your BitLocker recovery key, see Where to look for your BitLocker recovery key.
Sign out or lock
Sign out or lock—what’s the difference?
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Signing out closes all your open apps.
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Locking protects your account from use and lets someone else sign in with their account, without closing your open apps.
Here’s how to sign out of or lock your Surface:
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Go to Start and select your account picture in the lower-left corner of the Start menu.
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Select Sign out or Lock.
You can also lock your Surface by pressing the Windows logo key + L, or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard and selecting Lock or Sign out.
Switch to another account
If you’re sharing your Surface with someone else, you can switch to their account without signing out or closing apps. Here’s how:
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Go to Start and select your account picture in the lower-left corner of the Start menu.
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Select an account.
If you don't see the account you want, select Sign out and choose the account you want.
Sign in with Windows Hello
Windows Hello is a more personal and secure way to sign in to your Surface. The front-facing camera on the following Surface devices recognizes your face and iris, which allows you to sign in to Windows 11 with just a look:
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Surface Pro 6, Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro 7+, and Surface Pro 7+ with LTE Advanced, Surface Pro 8, Surface Pro 9, Surface Pro X (Wi-Fi), Surface Pro 10 for Business
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Surface Laptop 2, Surface Laptop 3, Surface Laptop 4, Surface Laptop 5, Surface Laptop 6 for Business, Surface Laptop Studio, and Surface Laptop Studio 2
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Surface Book 2 (8th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-8350U or i7-8650U processor) and Surface Book 3
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Surface Studio 2 and Surface Studio 2+
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Surface Go 2, Surface Go 3, and Surface Go 4
You can sign in with a press of your finger if you have one of the following:
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Surface Laptop Go, Surface Laptop Go 2, or Surface Laptop Go 3 that has a Fingerprint Power Button with One Touch sign-in through Windows Hello
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Surface Pro Type Cover with Fingerprint ID
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Surface Pro Signature Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
To set up Windows Hello, see What is Windows Hello? or Learn about Windows Hello and set it up.
To find out which Surface device models can be upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11, see Which Surface devices can be upgraded to Windows 11?
Other sign-in options
You can also sign in by using a PIN or a picture password. (These options may not be available if you’ve added work email accounts to the Mail app or joined a network domain.)
To set up these options:
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Go to Start , and select Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
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Under Ways to sign-in, select Picture password, PIN (Windows Hello), or Security key, and follow the on-screen instructions.
To choose when a password is required to sign in to your Surface:
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Go to Start , and select Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
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Under Additional settings, go to If you've been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again? and choose an option from the list.
Related topics
When you want to use your Surface, you’ll need to sign in. Find out about your options for signing in to and out of your Surface, including switching accounts and unlocking the screen.
Important: If you're trying to sign in to your Surface but can't remember your password, you can reset your password.
Sign in
-
Dismiss the lock screen by swiping up from the bottom edge of the screen or by pressing a key if you have a Surface Type Cover or keyboard attached.
-
If prompted, enter the password for your user account.
Notes:
-
If you can't enter your password, see What to try if your Surface touchscreen doesn't work or Troubleshoot Surface Type Cover or Keyboard for help.
-
If you're locked out of your Surface and need your BitLocker recovery key, see Where to look for your BitLocker recovery key.
Sign out or lock
Sign out or lock—what’s the difference?
-
Signing out closes all your open apps.
-
Locking protects your account from use and lets someone else sign in with their account, without closing your open apps.
Here’s how to sign out of or lock your Surface:
-
Go to Start and select your account picture in the upper-left corner of the Start menu.
-
Select Sign out or Lock.
You can also lock your Surface by pressing the Windows logo key + L, or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard and selecting Lock or Sign out.
Switch to another account
If you’re sharing your Surface with someone else, you can switch to their account without signing out or closing apps. Here’s how:
-
Go to Start and select your account picture in the upper-left corner of the Start menu.
-
Select an account.
If you don't see the account you want, select Sign out and choose the account you want.
Sign in with Windows Hello
Windows Hello is a more personal and secure way to sign in to your Surface. The front-facing camera on the following Surface devices recognizes your face and iris, which allows you to sign in to Windows 10 with just a look:
-
Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro (5th Gen), Surface Pro (5th Gen) with LTE advanced, Surface Pro 6, Surface Pro 7, Surface Pro 7+, and Surface Pro 7+ with LTE Advanced
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Surface Laptop (1st Gen), Surface Laptop 2, Surface Laptop 3, and Surface Laptop 4
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Surface Book, Surface Book 2, and Surface Book 3
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Surface Studio and Surface Studio 2
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Surface Go, Surface Go LTE, and Surface Go 2
You can sign in with a press of your finger if you have one of the following:
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Any Surface Laptop Go model that has a Fingerprint Power Button with One Touch sign-in through Windows Hello
-
Surface Pro Type Cover with Fingerprint ID
-
Surface Pro Signature Keyboard with Fingerprint Reader
To set up Windows Hello, see What is Windows Hello? or Learn about Windows Hello and set it up.
Other sign-in options
You can also sign in by using a PIN or a picture password. (These options may not be available if you’ve added work email accounts to the Mail app or joined a network domain.)
To set up these options:
-
Go to Start , and select Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
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From there, select Picture password or Windows Hello PIN and follow the on-screen instructions.
To choose when a password is required to sign in to your Surface:
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Go to Start , and select Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
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Select Require sign-in and choose an option from the list.
