Alongside creating software that impacts millions of people around the world, Microsoft is also known for building great peripherals, such as mice, keyboards, and webcams.

If you recently purchased a Surface Studio 2 , you probably received the Surface Keyboard , or if you’re transitioning from a laptop to a desktop computer, chances are that you picked up the Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID , which also happens to support Windows Hello.

While these are excellent premium input peripherals with slim profile designs, because they connect wirelessly using Bluetooth, the setup process can be a little confusing.

In this guide , you’ll learn the steps to set up your brand-new Microsoft Modern Keyboard or Microsoft Surface Keyboard for Windows 10 .

How to connect a Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard to your device

To connect your new Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID (EKZ-00001) or Microsoft Surface Keyboard use these steps.

  1. Connect the USB cable to connect the keyboard with your computer.
  2. Turn on the keyboard using the sliding button located on the side of the number pad.
  3. Click the “Add a device?” notification that appears in the bottom-right corner to add the device. Quick Tip: If you missed the toast notification, turn off the keyboard and turn it back on again.
  4. Open Settings .
  5. Click on Devices .
  6. Click on Bluetooth & other devices .
  7. If under the “Mouse, keyboard, & pen” section, you see the BTLE Keyboard with Fingerprint ID item with the status of Paired , you can disconnect the USB cable from the keyboard and computer. Microsoft Modern Keyboard connected

Once you’ve completed the steps, the status of the peripheral should change to “Connected,” and then, you can start using the Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID or Surface Keyboard.

It’s important to note that both peripherals are virtually the same, the only two differences are the branding and the built-in fingerprint reader, which is only available in the “Modern Keyboard” model. In addition, these instructions may also work to set up a “Microsoft Designer Bluetooth Desktop” keyboard.

If you’re setting up the Modern Keyboard, you can also use this guide to set up Windows Hello using your fingerprint .

On Windows 10, Windows Hello is a name that describes the support for new and more secure ways to sign in to your device using biometric and PIN authentication.

In other words, Windows Hello allows users to ditch traditional complex passwords in favor of more personal and secure methods of authentication, including face and iris recognition, fingerprint, and PIN to unlock a device.

In this guide , you’ll learn the step to configure and remove Windows Hello using a fingerprint reader on Windows 10 .

  • Set up Windows Hello Fingerprint on Windows 10
  • Remove Windows Hello Fingerprint on Windows 10
  • Windows Hello compatible hardware for Windows 10

Set up Windows Hello Fingerprint on Windows 10

To unlock device using a fingerprint reader with Windows Hello, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 10.
  2. Click on Accounts .
  3. Click on Sign-in options .
  4. Under the “Manage how you sign in to your device” section, select the Windows Hello Fingerprint option.
  5. Click the Set up button. Set up Windows Hello Fingerprint
  6. Click the Get started button. Windows Hello Fingerprint wizard
  7. Confirm your account password.
  8. Touch the fingerprint sensor as indicated in the wizard. Fingerprint setup on Windows 10
  9. Continue with the on-screen directions to capture your fingerprint from various angles. Quick tip: It’s recommended to click the Add another finger option to configure a second and even a third finger that you can use in case you’re having problems signing in, or you just forgot which finger is the one that unlocks your device.

Once you complete the steps, you can now lock your device ( Windows key + L ), and then use the fingerprint reader to sign in with the finger that you configured.

Remove Windows Hello Fingerprint on Windows 10

To remove Windows Hello to sign in on Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings .
  2. Click on Accounts .
  3. Click on Sign-in options.
  4. Under the “Manage how you sign in to your device” section, select the Windows Hello Fingerprint option.
  5. Click the Remove button. Remove Windows Hello Fingerprint
  6. Click the Remove button again.
  7. Confirm the account password.
  8. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, you can continue signing in with a traditional password. If you have configured Window Hello Face or PIN, you’ll need to remove those configurations using the same steps to completely disable the Windows Hello feature.

Windows Hello compatible hardware for Windows 10

Although face recognition and fingerprint authentication has been around for years, it’s still a technology that isn’t available on all devices. If you want to sign in to Windows 10 using your face or fingerprint, there are a lot of devices that come with Windows Hello built-in, such as the Surface Pro 7 , Surface Laptop 3 , Surface Go , and many others.