Hideez Desktop Client: Passwordless Windows Login and Proximity Lock

Hideez Desktop Client

What is Hideez Desktop Client?

Hideez Desktop Client is the Windows application of Hideez Workforce Identity (v.4). It used to be called Hideez Client. After you install it and your administrator approves the workstation on the Hideez server, a QR code appears on the Windows lock screen. Users sign in with the Hideez Authenticator app on their smartphone or with a Hideez Key 5.

The Desktop Client works with Hideez Key 5. Older Hideez Key models (Hideez Key 3 and Key 4) keep working with Hideez Client, which you can download on the Downloads page.

What it does

  • Passwordless sign-in and unlock with the Hideez Authenticator app: scan the QR code on the lock screen, touch the phone to an NFC tag, or use Bluetooth proximity.
  • Proximity login and lock. The workstation unlocks when the user's phone or Hideez Key 5 comes near and locks when they walk away. The lock and unlock distance is set in meters in a workstation profile, together with a lock delay.
  • Tap & Go. With a phone, touch the phone to an NFC tag. With a key, touch it to a second Hideez Key 5 that works in dongle mode: one key stays plugged into the computer in place of a USB dongle, and the other is the user's security key. Tap & Go with a key therefore needs two keys.
  • Button press on the key. One press enters a login, a password or a one-time code for password-based sign-in, unlocks the computer in proximity login on Windows, and signs the user in to web services with a passkey (FIDO). It works the same on every Hideez Key model. The key is protected by a personal PIN, which the user enters once a day at the first login to Windows.
  • Password manager and one-time codes stored in the key. The user enters a Windows password once, and the key remembers it for later logins.
  • Password-based login with the phone. The user saves the Windows account password in the app once, then signs in by scanning the QR code and confirming. It works with local, domain, Microsoft and Microsoft Entra ID accounts.
  • Passwordless login on Active Directory or Entra ID. On computers joined to Active Directory or Microsoft Entra ID, Hideez uses a virtual smart card in the TPM, so nobody types a password. The domain password does not change.
  • Works offline. Windows login and logoff work without an internet connection with both Hideez Key and the Hideez Authenticator app, and the key also signs users in to local applications offline.

Requirements

  • Windows 10 (build 1709, 64-bit), Windows 11 or Windows Server 2022 or later; x64 processor and 2 GB of RAM.
  • A connection to your Hideez server over HTTPS (port 443) for setup and approval of the workstation.
  • Passwordless login needs TPM 2.0 and a computer joined to Active Directory (with a certification authority) or to Microsoft Entra ID.
  • Proximity login and lock need Bluetooth 5 on the PC and the phone, Hideez Desktop 4.2.9 or later and Hideez Authenticator 1.8.19 or later. The app runs on iOS 13 or later and Android 8 or later.
  • Device login and lock work on Windows only.

Installation and management

  • Install with an EXE file (it also installs .NET 9 and the Visual C++ runtime) or roll out the MSI package through Group Policy.
  • Enter the address of your Hideez server. The workstation registers itself, and an administrator approves it in the Hideez Enterprise Server console. Until then users cannot sign in with Hideez.
  • Administrators create workstation profiles with different lock and unlock settings and assign them to computers.
  • Hideez Key 5 profiles set the PIN length and how often the PIN is requested.

Phone or hardware key?

  • Hideez Authenticator (phone). Free for Android and iOS. Nothing extra to buy. Sign in by QR code or NFC tag, with proximity lock over Bluetooth.
  • Hideez Key 5 (hardware). For areas where phones are not allowed or not practical. Proximity login and lock, Tap & Go with two keys, a password manager, one-time codes and passkeys, with a personal PIN.

FAQ

What is Hideez Desktop Client?

Hideez Desktop Client is the Windows application of Hideez Workforce Identity (v.4), formerly called Hideez Client. After installation and workstation approval, a QR code appears on the lock screen, and users sign in with the Hideez Authenticator app or a Hideez Key 5.

Which Hideez keys work with Hideez Desktop Client?

Hideez Desktop Client works with Hideez Key 5. Older models, Hideez Key 3 and Key 4, keep working with Hideez Client, which you can download on the Downloads page.

How does proximity lock work?

The Hideez Authenticator app on the phone or a Hideez Key 5 keeps a Bluetooth connection with the PC. The workstation unlocks when the user is near and locks when they walk away. Lock and unlock distance and the lock delay are set in meters in a workstation profile.

How does Tap & Go work?

With a phone, the user touches the phone to an NFC tag. With a key, the user touches it to a second Hideez Key 5 that works in dongle mode and is plugged into the computer in place of a USB dongle. Tap & Go with a key needs two keys.

Does Hideez Desktop Client work offline?

Windows login and logoff work offline with both Hideez Key and the Hideez Authenticator app, and the key signs users in to local applications offline. The workstation still needs a connection to your Hideez server for setup and approval.