# SmartCard Authentication

> :::important
This feature only works if [Login to Console](https://docs.uipath.com/orchestrator/standalone/2025.10/user-guide/robot-settings#robot-settings) is set to **True**.
:::

:::important
This feature only works if [Login to Console](https://docs.uipath.com/orchestrator/standalone/2025.10/user-guide/robot-settings#robot-settings) is set to **True**.
:::

SmartCard (Common Access Cards or Personal Identity Verification Cards) authentication is a secure way to authenticate unattended Robots, in addition to basic authentication credentials. A SmartCard has a unique PIN. Multiple users can be registered to a card, in which case all users have the same PIN. A user can also be registered to multiple cards, in which case multiple PINs are used for the same user.

:::note
UiPath® does not support simultaneous process execution on Robots registered with the same username but different authentication methods.
:::

Both virtual and physical cards can be used for authentication, as long as they are part of a single Active Directory domain. The corresponding user must belong to the same domain. Virtual card authentication is only possible on Windows 8.1 and above.

:::note
The SmartCard needs to be inserted with every authentication. As long as the SmartCard is inserted, the associated Robot is available on the corresponding machine.
:::

It is highly recommended to consult your company’s password policy before using the SmartCard authentication method. Credentials for a Robot that authenticates with a SmartCard may be stored in either the SQL Server or CyberArk. Find out more about storing Robot credentials in CyberArk [here](https://docs.uipath.com/orchestrator/standalone/2025.10/user-guide/storing-credentials-in-cyberark#storing-robot-credentials-in-cyberark).

## Enabling Smart Card Authentication

To enable SmartCard authentication, select **Smart Card** when configuring the credential type at the user level. This option is only available if the [Features.SmartCardAuthentication.Enabled](https://docs.uipath.com/orchestrator/standalone/2025.10/installation-guide/uipath-orchestrator-dll-config#featuressmartcardauthenticationenabled) parameter is set to **True**.