Microsoft sign-in gets redesign and, more importantly, dark mode

Microsoft is rolling out a new authentication process for services like Outlook, Xbox, Windows, and Microsoft 365. The practical aim is to focus more on passwordless logins and the visual aim is apparently to step back from “product-centric” design and lean into “Microsoft-centric design” (whatever that means).

Passwordless login refers to other forms of authentication, namely face ID, fingerprint ID, or PIN — sometimes collectively referred to as passkeys. Although a PIN is still a set of numbers or letters that you type in to get access to your accounts, they’re safer than passwords thanks to the way they’re stored. Instead of information being transmitted to and stored on servers that bad actors are constantly trying to break into,  your PIN is kept securely stored on your device.

Microsoft says the new sign in system will always prioritize passkeys, making it the default choice whenever possible. Hopefully, this will help bring some consistency to the login experience, as it sometimes feels like you have no idea or control over what kind of authentication Microsoft will ask for.

Xbox users have already seen the new screen on web and mobile, where it was tested alongside the new Xbox-themed dark mode. Microsoft says the dark mode option had a  “positive impact” during testing — but that doesn’t seem like something that needed a test to be confirmed. Everyone loves having a dark mode and users have been begging companies like Microsoft and Google to implement them for a while. I waited for a Google Docs dark mode for a long time, for example. It never happened, and now I’m happily using LibreOffice.

Anyway, the rest of us will see these updates roll out in waves throughout March and April. Web and mobile apps will come first, with apps on Windows coming after. The design overhaul is focused on consumer accounts only so if you’ve got a school or work account, you won’t be seeing any of this.