Can't log in to my Windows laptop

Connect the laptop to the internet from the lock screen, select Sign-in options → Password, and enter the new Microsoft-account password rather than a Windows Hello PIN.

Try the correct Windows sign-in method

1. On the lock screen, select the Network icon in the lower-right corner.
2. Connect to Wi-Fi, or connect the laptop directly to the router with an Ethernet cable.
3. Select Sign-in options.
4. Choose the Password icon—not PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition.
5. Confirm that the displayed account is the same Microsoft-account email address you successfully used in the browser.
6. Enter the new password manually, checking the keyboard language and Caps Lock state.

Windows may require an internet connection to validate a recently changed Microsoft-account password. Microsoft specifically recommends checking connectivity from the lock screen when Windows sign-in fails.^1^

A Windows Hello PIN is separate from the Microsoft-account password and is tied to that device. Changing the online password does not change the PIN.^2^

If the laptop cannot get online

Try the old Microsoft-account password that was previously used on this laptop. Windows can verify an offline sign-in against locally cached credentials; after a cloud password change, that cached verifier may still accept the old password until the device authenticates online.^3^

If that works:

1. Connect the laptop to the internet after reaching the desktop.
2. Lock or restart it.
3. Sign in using the new password.

If Windows is asking for a PIN

Select Sign-in options → Password first. If only PIN sign-in is available and I forgot my PIN appears, select it and complete the account verification to create a new PIN. That option is available for Microsoft accounts, not local accounts.^2^

Check whether this is actually a local Windows account

If the lock screen shows a local username rather than the Microsoft-account email address, resetting the online Microsoft password will not reset that local account’s password.

For a local account:

1. Enter any password once and select the arrow.
2. Select OK → Reset password.
3. Answer the security questions configured when the account was created.^4^

If it still rejects the password while online

Try Safe Mode with Networking:

1. At the sign-in screen, hold Shift while selecting Power → Restart.
2. Select Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Settings → Restart.
3. After restart, press 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
4. Sign in with the password; PIN and biometric sign-in are unavailable in Safe Mode.^1^

If another account appears in the lower-left corner, you can also sign in to that account. Administrative access from another account may allow further repair, but it cannot reveal or bypass the forgotten password.

If none of these branches works, use Microsoft’s sign-in helper or Contact Support. Support can assist with technical sign-in problems, but cannot retrieve, bypass, or directly change a forgotten password.^5^

References

1. Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows | Microsoft Support
2. Change or reset your Windows Hello PIN
3. Windows logon scenarios
4. Change or reset your Microsoft account password in Windows
5. Change or reset your Microsoft account password in Windows | Microsoft Support