Share via

How can you disable the 2 hour lockouts for logging into Windows?

Josh Brandon 0 Reputation points
2025-11-19T05:33:41.1166667+00:00

We have a number of students using BYO devices at school that are experiencing the annoying 2 hour lockouts when trying to log into Windows. I want to know how we can go about disabling this in Windows as not having a working computer for school is a huge problem for the students learning.

If anyone knows how to fix this I would love to know.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accounts, profiles, and login
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Francisco Montilla 30,635 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-11-19T07:13:15.9966667+00:00

    Hi Josh,

    The lockout is coming from the Windows Account lockout policy. The quickest fix is to change that policy so users are never locked out after bad passwords.

    On any affected PC, sign in with an administrator, press Win+R, type secpol.msc, then press Enter. Go to Security Settings > Account Policies > Account Lockout Policy. Open Account lockout threshold and set it to 0 invalid logon attempts. Click OK. Windows should mark the duration and reset-counter settings as Not Applicable. Close the console and restart the PC or run gpupdate /force in an elevated Command Prompt.

    If the PC does not have Local Security Policy, open an elevated Command Prompt and run:

    net accounts /lockoutthreshold:0

    Then restart.

    If you want a safer approach instead of fully disabling, leave a lockout in place but make it much less disruptive. Set Account lockout threshold to a higher number, for example 20. Set Reset account lockout counter after to 5 minutes, and set Account lockout duration to 5 minutes, so a student is never blocked for 2 hours.

    For schools managing many devices, apply the same setting in a Group Policy that targets those PCs under Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Account Lockout Policy.

    One note: If students are signing in to Windows with school Entra ID accounts on Entra-joined devices, the lockout can be coming from Microsoft Entra Smart lockout, not the local policy. In that case you would adjust the Smart lockout threshold and duration in the Entra portal for your tenant. If that is your setup, tell me and I will map the exact clicks.

    Was this answer helpful?

    1 person found this answer helpful.
    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2025-11-19T05:34:53.9866667+00:00

    To disable the 2-hour lockouts for logging into Windows, you will need to adjust the Group Policy settings or the local security policies depending on your environment. Here are the general steps you can follow:

    1. Open Local Group Policy Editor:
      • Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
    2. Navigate to the Policy:
      • Go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options.
    3. Find the Relevant Policy:
      • Look for policies related to account lockout, such as "Interactive logon: Machine inactivity limit" or similar settings.
    4. Adjust the Settings:
      • Change the settings to a longer duration or disable them as needed.
    5. Apply Changes:
      • After making changes, close the Group Policy Editor and restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

    If you are in a domain environment, you may need to adjust these settings through the Group Policy Management Console on the domain controller.

    Additionally, ensure that any parental controls or logon hours settings are not interfering with the login process, as these can also cause lockouts.

    If the issue persists, consider checking for any specific configurations related to your school's IT policies that might enforce these lockouts.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.