Last year Google was in charge of launching Credential Provider, or what is the same, the Google Credential Provider for Windows, through which it enables any user to log in with their Google account. In this way it is possible to configure Windows 10 so that we can log in using our Google password. This is something that we can do whether we install if we install Windows or if we want to relate a Google account with a current Windows profile.
What is the Google Credential Provider
By using the Google Credential Provider for Windows (GCPW), any user will be able to log into their Windows computer using their Google account. In this way, we may be able to access Google services, as well as the security functions of our Google account through a single login.
Advantages of the Google credential provider
As the administrator of our Windows team, we can use Google Single Sign-On (SSO) to securely access, edit Windows settings, and erase device data remotely. By using GCPW services we can configure it so that a user’s Google account can be synchronized with our local Windows profiles. We also obtain another series of advantages such as:
- Additional security– When using our Google account we have measures against piracy through the two-step identification function or identity verification
- Single sign-on: this will allow us to access Google Workspace services and Chrome applications without having to re-enter our Google username and password.
- Password synchronization: we will be able to synchronize the Google passwords of our user with our Windows passwords in the administration console or using the G Suite password synchronization.
- Automatic registration in Windows device management– When using GCPW and Windows device management, any device will be automatically registered in Windows device management, when we log in through Google’s credential provider.
Requirements that we must meet
When it comes to installing and using the Google credential provider, it is necessary to meet some prerequisites that our computer must meet. These would be:
- Have a “G Suite Enterprise”, “G Suite Enterprise for Education” or “Cloud Identity Premium” license so that your device is enrolled in Windows device management.
- Have Windows 10 Professional, Business or Enterprise (version 1803 or higher), as well as a user account that has Administrator privileges.
- Google Chrome browser installed on our computer.
Login to Windows with Google password
Next, we are going to explain the steps to be taken to be able to log into Windows 10 using our Google password. These are very simple since you only have to download and install the Google Credential Provider and perform a small configuration in the registry.
Download and install GPCW
To get started, the first thing to do is download the Google Credential Provider. To do this, simply access your enabled website by clicking on this link. Once inside we can download a version for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. Subsequently, we choose the version corresponding to our system, we download an executable file with an MSI extension which we must execute to proceed with its installation quickly, without the need to go through any type of wizard or installation process.
Once the installation is done, we must verify that the following files are enabled in the specified path.
C: / Archivos de programa / Google / CredentialProvider / 89.0.4389.128 / Gaia.dll
C: / Archivos de programa / Google / CredentialProvider / 89.0.4389.128 / gcp_setup.exe
C: / Archivos de programa / Google / CredentialProvider / 89.0.4389.128 / gcp_eventlog_provider.dll
Configure registry information
The use of the Google credential provider will allow us to organize different spaces to be able to log in with our Google account. It can also be configured to prevent the device from automatically registering Windows device management as well as multiple Google accounts, profile settings, and validity period.
This is something that we must configure from the “Windows Registry Editor”. The use of the editor must be done with caution since any errors are the responsibility of each user. To open it, press the keyboard shortcut “Windows + R” and launch the command “Run”. Here, we type “regedit” to directly access the Editor. Once inside, we will navigate to the next route.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Software Google
Here, we must find a folder called GCPW. In the event that we cannot find it, we can create it by right-clicking on the Google folder and selecting New and Password. Subsequently, we right-click on the FPCW folder and select New and String value that will be named “domains_allowed_to_login”. We restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
Sign in with Google account
Once we have restarted our computer, we will see how at the beginning of the session, at the end of the user list, a new option appears called «Add work account». This is easily identifiable because it has the Google logo next to it. Click on the button to log in with our user account, following all the protocols for its configuration. Since it is a new account, Windows may take a while to configure and once finished, the user account will appear along with our other accounts that we have. However, we may need to log in again with the Google username and password each time we log into our account.
As an alternative, we can configure a PIN for the account and establish a validity period of 5 days. In this way, the next time we log in to our computer with the Google work account, it will not be necessary to log in with the credentials of our Google account. So we can log in with the Windows account in case we lose the Internet connection.
