Enable Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) in Windows 11

I will guide you in this documentary How to enable Enhanced Logon Security (ESS) in Windows 11

Here's how to enable Enhanced Sign-in Security, ESS in Windows 11. With the settings already configured in Windows, you can enable or disable sign-in using an external camera or fingerprint sensor.

How to enable Enhanced Logon Security (ESS) in Windows 11

Here's how to enable Enhanced Sign-in Security, ESS in Windows 11. With the settings already configured in Windows, you can enable or disable sign-in using an external camera or fingerprint sensor.

What is Enhanced Sign-in Security or ESS in Windows 11?

Enhanced Sign-in Security is a layer of security that works on top of Windows Hello to protect the data communication channel. It works solely with Virtualization-based Security (VBS). In simple words, it is an additional layer of security that is applied to traditional biometric sensors such as facial recognition and fingerprint sensors.

Hardware Requirements for Enhanced Sign-in Security

The hardware requirements for Enhanced Sign-in Security are:

VBS or Virtualization-based Security.
TPM or Trusted Platform Module 2.0.
Enabling Guard Device.
Biometric sensors and drivers that support ESS.
Secure Devices (SDEV) Device firmware configured with ACPI table to be configured by the hardware manufacturer.

How to Enable Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) in Windows 11

To enable Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) in Windows 11, follow these steps:

Press Win+I to open Windows Settings.
Go to Accounts > Sign-in options.
Head to Additional settings.
Look for the option Sign in with an external camera or fingerprint reader.
Toggle the button to turn it on.

To get started, you need to open Windows Settings. While there are many methods, you can press Win+I to open Windows Settings on your computer.

Then, navigate to Accounts > Sign-in options and then to Additional settings.

Here, you can find an option called Sign in with an external camera or fingerprint reader.

You need to toggle the corresponding button to turn it on.

However, to disable Enhanced Sign-in Security, you need to navigate to the same path and toggle the same button on.

Enable Enhanced Sign-In Security Using Registry

Open the Windows Registry and navigate to the following path: ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionWinBio Double-click SupportPeripheralsWithEnhancedSignInSecurity in the right pane.

Enter 0 to enable the Enhanced Sign-In Security feature.
Enter 1 to disable the Enhanced Sign-In Security feature.

If you don't see the SupportPeripheralsWithEnhancedSignInSecurity key, you need to create this DWORD (32-bit) registry entry.

Restart your computer.

Check that ESS is enabled in Windows 11.

If you want to know if ESS is enabled, you can use the Event Viewer. For that, open Event Viewer and navigate to this path: Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > Biometrics > Operational If you see Event ID 1108 here, it means that your ESS is enabled and working. However, if you cannot find the same Event ID, then you need to check your drivers and hardware.