Windows 10X is a new simplified version of Windows designed for security and performance that Microsoft announced in 2019 and plans to launch in spring 2021 on a new range of devices.
Many details have so far been scarce, but thanks to a version of Windows 10X that was leaked last week, we can take a good look at the operating system and its features.
In addition to a new user interface, Windows 10X also comes with a new feature called “Anti-Theft Protection”, a measure designed to prevent thieves from cleaning and reusing stolen devices.
If a Windows 10 device is unlocked, anyone can access Settings and use a feature called “Reset this PC” to reset devices to factory defaults.
When the Windows 10X anti-theft protection feature is made, the user must either sign in with the Microsoft account previously associated with the device or enter the PIN before the device can be reset and used as new.
“Anti-theft protection prevents someone else from restarting your device and reusing it. When anti-theft protection is enabled, you will need to enter your Microsoft account PIN or password before resetting and reusing this device,” describes Microsoft. feature in the Settings application.
In Windows 10X, you can configure the anti-theft protection feature of settings > Anti-theft protection.
Because Windows 10X is designed for portable devices, enabling a feature that makes it more difficult to reset a device as new makes stolen devices a less valuable target. Microsoft used a similar feature on Windows Mobile to protect devices when stolen.
It would also make sense for Microsoft to port this feature to the regular Windows 10 operating system to provide extra security for unlocked devices.
There is no indication that Microsoft plans to do this at this time.