The ThinkPad series is a popular line of business-oriented laptops currently designed, developed, and marketed by Lenovo. Security is one of the key aspects of any modern ThinkPad laptop, which makes sense as it's marketed towards enterprise and business users. The newly launched ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 9 also comes with a bunch of security mechanisms; however, the easiest way to secure the laptop is through Windows Hello.

Yes, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon does support Windows Hello. For those who don’t know, Windows Hello is a biometric-based technology that allows Windows 10 users to authenticate secure access to their devices, apps, and other services using fingerprint, iris, or facial recognition. Essentially this sign-in mechanism is an alternative to passwords. Apart from being more secure and reliable, it's more personal and user-friendly than traditional logins that use passwords.

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon comes with a fingerprint scanner built into the power button that can be used to configure Windows Hello. Lenovo also sells the laptop with an optional IR camera that also enables Windows Hello via face recognition.

How to set up Windows Hello

The initial Windows setup usually asks users to set up Windows Hello. In case you haven’t done it already, here is how you can set it up:

1. Select Start  > Settings  > Accounts  > Sign-in options.
2. Under Manage how you sign in to your device, you'll see three choices to sign in with Windows Hello:

• Select Windows Hello Face to set up facial recognition sign-in with your PC's infrared camera or an external infrared camera.
• Select Windows Hello Fingerprint to set up sign-in with a fingerprint reader.
• Select Windows Hello PIN to set up sign-in with a PIN.

1. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your fingerprint/facial recognition. An additional PIN is also recommended in case the laptop fails to recognize either of the biometric options.

Are you planning to buy a new laptop? Check out our recommendations of the best laptops to buy in 2021. Additionally, we've also compiled a list of laptops that supports Windows Hello authentication.