Bitwarden now supports passkey-based login for Windows 11, letting users authenticate to their devices using cryptographic credentials stored in the Bitwarden vault instead of a traditional password.
The feature is available across all Bitwarden plans, including the free tier. To log in, users select the security key option at the Windows sign-in screen and scan a QR code with a mobile device, which confirms access to the passkey held in the Bitwarden encrypted vault.
How It Works
Bitwarden acts as the passkey provider within the Windows authentication flow. Rather than binding the credential to a single physical device, it stores the passkey in the user’s synced vault, which also allows recovery via other devices if a phone is lost.
Three conditions must be met to use the feature:
- The device must be Entra ID-joined
- FIDO2 security key sign-in must be enabled
- A registered Entra ID passkey must be stored in the Bitwarden vault
“Windows now supports industry-standard passkeys secured in the Bitwarden vault, enabling passwordless authentication during sign-in,” the company said in a press release. “Users can choose to log in with a passkey stored in the Bitwarden vault, allowing Windows to authenticate using cryptographic credentials rather than passwords, without transmitting shared secrets.”
The Security Argument
Because the login process relies on cryptographic challenges signed with private keys stored in the vault, password entry is removed from the equation entirely. That design eliminates the transmission of shared secrets, which significantly reduces exposure to phishing attacks.
More Read
Bitwarden states that Microsoft will roll out passkey login on Windows 11 during March 2026, with availability depending on each organization’s Microsoft Entra ID configuration.
Building on a November 2025 API
This announcement builds on a foundation Microsoft laid in November 2025, when it introduced a passkey provider API for Windows 11. That API allowed third-party apps, including Bitwarden and 1Password, to store and manage passkeys for websites and applications running on the OS.
The new capability extends that same logic to a deeper level: the operating system’s own sign-in layer. It is a meaningful expansion, moving passkey support from browser and app authentication into the core Windows login experience.
Bitwarden is an open-source password and secrets manager that handles account passwords, passkeys, API keys, credit card details, identity data, and private notes. Its cross-device sync model is central to why the vault-stored passkey approach works here, since the credential is not locked to one piece of hardware.
Photo by Sunny Hassan on Unsplash
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