cant log in to windows

James Emerson 0 Reputation points
2026-09-12T20:11:11.1933333+00:00

it was working fine this morning. went to lunch, came back. Immediately asked for my PIN upon startup. Entered PIN, and was told incorrect. Tried password, was told incorrect. Cannot get onto PC and have a lab to work on...

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accounts, profiles, and login
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-12T20:11:28.4066667+00:00

    Try these in order:

    1. Restart once On the sign-in screen, select Power > Restart. If updates are pending, use Update and restart.
    2. Check internet on the lock screen If this is a Microsoft account, sign-in can fail without connectivity. On the lock screen, select Network and confirm the PC is online. If Wi‑Fi is unstable, use Ethernet if available.
    3. Use another sign-in method if shown On the sign-in screen, look for Sign-in options. If available, try the account password instead of the PIN.
    4. Reset from the sign-in screen
      • If I forgot my PIN appears, use it to reset the PIN.
      • If I forgot my password appears, use it to start password recovery.
      • For a Microsoft account, account recovery can also be started here: Recover your account
    5. Start in Safe Mode PIN and biometric sign-in are unavailable there, so this helps test password sign-in.
      • On the sign-in screen, hold Shift and select Power > Restart.
      • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
      • After restart, press 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
      • Try signing in with the account password.
    6. If no password option is available after repeated PIN failures A Microsoft Q&A accepted answer describes a workaround from Windows Recovery Environment to restore password sign-in options by changing a registry value. Warning: editing the registry is risky. A wrong change can cause additional sign-in or system problems.
      • From the sign-in screen, hold Shift and select Power > Restart.
      • Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt.
      • Type regedit.
      • In Registry Editor, select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
      • Select File > Load Hive.
      • Open C:\Windows\System32\Config\Software and load it with key name 1234.
      • Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\1234\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\PasswordLess\Device.
      • Change DevicePasswordBuildVersion to 0.
      • Restart, then use Sign-in options and sign in with the Microsoft account password.
    7. If password still fails after reset Use the Microsoft account recovery flow and verify the exact account name and domain being used. If the account is still not recognized, contact support.
    8. If Windows still will not accept any sign-in Enter Windows Recovery Environment and try System Restore or Startup Repair from Troubleshoot > Advanced options.

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