Security News > 2023 > July > GitHub goes passwordless, announces passkeys beta preview
GitHub announced today the introduction of passwordless authentication support in public beta, allowing users to upgrade from security keys to passkeys.
To activate passkeys on your account, click your profile photo in the top-right corner of any GitHub page.
"Because passkeys are privacy preserving, you might have to trigger your passkey a few times during that upgrade flow so we can make sure we're upgrading the right credential. Once you do, you're all set for a passwordless experience."
In November 2020, GitHub disabled REST API password authentication and introduced FIDO2 security keys support to secure SSH Git operations in May 2021.
Over the years, GitHub bolstered its account security measures by implementing two-factor authentication and sign-in alerts, blocking compromised password usage, and adding WebAuthn support.
Last month, Microsoft expanded support for passkeys in Windows 11 by adding a built-in passkey manager for Windows Hello and making it more secure to log in using biometric authentication.