FIX: Incorrect Password/PIN after Windows 11 update (Solved)

If you recently updated your Windows 11 Laptop/PC and can’t login-in to Windows after the update, because of “Incorrect Password/PIN” error, follow the steps in this guide to gain access to your profile again.*

* Important: If you cannot sign-in to Windows 11 because you don’t see the login screen to type your pin/password, follow the instructions on this tutorial: FIX: Windows 11 Black Screen with Cursor.

Many users have reported that after updating their computers they are no longer able to log in to Windows 10/11 because of the “PIN IS INCORRECT” or “PASSWORD IS INCORRECT” error. The problem can occur either when you use a “Microsoft Account” or a “Local Account”.

The “Unable to login to Windows 11” issue, usually occurs after installing updates or due to mistyped login credentials. While not being able to sign in to your Windows 10 account is an annoying issue, there are some steps you can try to resolve it. Start by checking that your credentials are correct and make sure you have network connectivity, especially if you’re using a Microsoft account.

How to FIX: Cannot Sign in to Windows 11 because the Password or PIN is incorrect.

If you can’t sign in to your Microsoft account or your local account profile in Windows 10/11 due to incorrect pin/password, follow the steps below in order to fix the problem.

Step 1. Restart your PC.

First of all, check if you can login to Windows by simply restarting your PC. To do that:

1. Click the Power icon on the bottom-right corner and choose Restart.
2. After restarting your PC, type your password and try to login to Windows.

Step 2. Full Shutdown your PC.

Sometimes the login issue is fixed, after performing a full shutdown of Windows 10/11.

1. Hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, and then click the Power button and choose Shut down.
2. When the computer shuts down, press its power button (to turn on your PC), and try to login to Windows again.

Step 3. Type your PIN or Password with the Virtual Keyboard.

If you still cannot login Windows, ensure that you type your password correctly and if the problem persists, continue to next step.

1. Click the Easy of access button (aka “Accessibility” button on Windows 11), and activate the On-screen keyboard.

2. Click in the pin/password box, and then click one by one the corresponding keys on the virtual keyboard to type your PIN/Password.

3. When done, click the Show (Eye) icon to verify that the pin/password you typed is correct. If so, click the Enter key to see if you can login to Windows.*

* Notes:
1. If you cannot login using your PIN because of error “PIN is incorrect”, click the Key icon and try to login using your Microsoft Account password.
2. If you don’t remember the password of your Microsoft Account, then – from another device – go to Microsoft Account Reset Password page and follow the prompts to reset it. Then restart your pc and login to Windows using the new password.

Step 4. Restart your PC in Safe Mode.

Some users have reported that they were able to sign in to their account after entering safe mode. To try that:

1. Hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, and then click the Power button and choose Restart, to open the Windows Recovery Environment options (WinRE)

2. After restarting, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Settings and click on Startup Settings.

3. Then hit Restart again.

4. At Startup Settings screen press 4 or F4 to start Windows in Safe Mode.

5. At the login screen enter your password and try to login to your PC. If you can successfully login to your account, restart Windows normally and see if the problem is resolved. If not, continue to next step.

Step 5. Restore your PC in a Previous Working State.

1. At the login screen, hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, and then click the Power button and choose Restart.

2. After restarting, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Settings and click System Restore.

3. At System Restore screen, click Next.*.

* Note: If you see the following screen informing you and there are no restore points, click Cancel and skip to the next step.

4. At the next screen, choose a previous restore point and click Next and Finish.

5. Wait System Restore process to restore your system and then check if the problem is fixed.

Step 6. Uninstall the latest Update.

1. At the login screen, hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, and then click the Power button and choose Restart.

2. After restarting, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Settings > Uninstall Updates.

3. At the ‘Uninstall Updates’ screen, do the following:

a. First, click Uninstall latest quality update and wait for Windows to uninstall the update. When the uninstall is completed, click Done to then click Continue to Windows 10. Then try to login to your account. If you still can’t sign in to your account…

b. Follow the same steps (1-2), but this time click Uninstall latest feature update.

Step 7. Enable and log in to Windows with the built-in administrator account.

1. At the login screen, hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard, and then click the Power button and choose Restart.

2. After restarting, choose Troubleshoot > Advanced Settings > Command Prompt.

3. At the next screen, click your Username and then type your password (if any) and click Continue. *

* Note: If you receive again that your password is incorrect, then Boot your PC from a USB Windows Installation media, click Next at ‘Language options and then select Repair your computer -> Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> Command Prompt. Finally, follow the steps below to enable the hidden Administrator account in Windows Registry.

4. In command prompt type regedit and press Enter.

5. In Registry Editor, click to highlight the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key.

6. From the File menu, select Load Hive.

7. At “Load Hive” screen:

a. Locate the Windows drive (where Windows are installed on), and navigate to the folder: WindowsSystem32config

b. Explore the contents of the config folder, select the SAM file and click Open.

8. Then type a new Key Name: (e.g. “Repair“) and press OK.

9. Now navigate to the following key (from the left side):

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINERepairSAMDomainsAccountUsers00001F4

10. Double click at F value on the right.

11. Press the Down Arrow key and navigate to the line 0038.

12. Press once the Delete key once to delete the number 11

13. Then type 10 and click OK.

14. Now click to highlight (select) the New Key you created before under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (e.g. the “Repair” key in this example)…

…and from the File menu click Unload Hive and then…

…click Yes to confirm.

15. Close the Registry Editor & the Command Prompt windows.
16. Click Exit and continue to Windows 10.

17. At Login screen, click at the Administrator Account to login..

18. After entering Windows, go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and turn off the Use my sign-in info to automatically setting up my device after update or restart option.

19. Now Sign-out from the Administrator account, and try to login to your normal account. *

* Note: If you still can’t login to your normal account, proceed to the instructions below according the type of your normal account (Local or Microsoft account):

Local account:

If you’re using a local account in Windows 10/11 and not a Microsoft account, proceed as follows:

1. Login to Windows using the Administrator account.
2. Press Windows + R keys to open the Run command box.
3. Type control userpasswords and press OK (or Enter)

4. Click Manage another account

5. Select the account that you can’t sign-in to, and click Change the password.

6. Type a new password (twice to confirm it) and click Change password.

7. Now, sign-out from the Administrator account and login to your normal account.
8. Finally, proceed and disable the “Administrator” account, by giving the following command in Command Prompt (Admin) and you’re done:

• net user administrator /active:no

Microsoft account:

If you cannot sign-in to Windows 10/11 using your Microsoft Account, apply the following steps:

1. Login to Windows using the Administrator account.
2. Open a web browser and sign-in to your Microsoft Account.
3. Click the Security tab and then type your password to verify your identity.

* Note: If you cannot remember the password, go to Reset your Microsoft Account password page and follow the prompts to reset it.

4. At Password security section, click Change my password and then specify a new password.

5. After changing your password, restart the computer and login to Windows using your Microsoft Account and the new password. *

* Note: If after applying the above steps you still cannot login to your Microsoft Account in Windows, proceed as follows:

1. Login again to Windows using the Administrator account.
2. Create a new local account on your PC with administrative privileges.
3. Then, sign-in with the new account.
4. Finally, transfer all your files and settings from you old account to the new one.

That’s all! Which method worked for you?
Please leave a comment in the comment section below or even better: like and share this blog post in the social networks to help spread the word about this solution.

If this article was useful for you, please consider supporting us by making a donation. Even $1 can a make a huge difference for us.