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I can no longer log in to my local device

Erika O'Donnell 0 Reputation points
2026-05-29T14:28:32.2233333+00:00

I can no longer log in to my local device. It is telling me to reset my pin but won't allow me to reset the pin. My facial recognition feature no longer is available and my password is not working. It is asking me to rest the password but saying my answers to my security questions are also wrong. I have tried to restart holding shift to reopen in safe mode or make changes in WinRe but that does not seem to be working. Help please!

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accounts, profiles, and login
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  1. Vikki-T 5,990 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-05-30T07:28:01.86+00:00

    Hi Erika O'Donnell, 

    I understand that being locked out of your own PC can be really stressful, especially when the PIN, Windows Hello Face, password, and security questions all fail at the same time. 

    At this point, I recommend that you review and try the steps provided in the AI generated answer on your thread. That reply typically include the most relevant checks for this scenario. 

    Just to narrow this down, could you please confirm a few things? 

    • Is the account on the sign-in screen showing an email address, such as Outlook/Hotmail/Live, or is it only a local username? 
    • Do you see the network/Wi-Fi icon on the sign-in screen, and is the device connected to the Internet? 
    • When you choose I forgot my PIN or try to reset the password, what exact error message appears? 
    • Have you ever signed in to this PC with another administrator account? 
    • Is BitLocker enabled on this device, or are you being asked for a BitLocker recovery key when entering recovery options? 

    In the meantime, please try this approach: 

    First, make sure the device is online from the sign-in screen. You can select the network icon in the bottom-right corner and connect to Wi-Fi or Ethernet if available. If this is a Microsoft account, the PIN reset and password verification may need an Internet connection. 

    If the account is a Microsoft account, try resetting the Microsoft account password from another device here: https://account.live.com/password/reset. After changing it, return to the locked PC, make sure it is connected to the Internet, then select Sign-in options and try signing in with the password option instead of PIN, if available.  

    If this is a local account and the password plus security question answers are not being accepted, there may not be a way to recover that local account password unless another administrator account is available on the same PC.  

    While my initial response may not fully resolve the issue, I truly appreciate your cooperation as we work together toward identifying the most effective solution. Thank you so much for your understanding.  

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-05-29T14:29:00.1866667+00:00

    Follow these steps in order, based on what has already been tried:

    1. Try other sign-in methods from the lock screen
      On the Windows sign-in screen:
      • Select Sign-in options and cycle through all available methods (password, PIN, Windows Hello options) to confirm none of them work.
      • If another account exists on the device, select it from the lower-left corner and try signing in with that account.
    2. Restart and attempt Safe Mode sign-in again
      Since restarting with Shift did not work previously, repeat carefully:
      1. On the sign-in screen, select the Power icon.
      2. Hold Shift and select Restart while still holding Shift.
      3. When Choose an option appears, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
      4. After restart, press 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
      5. On the Safe Mode sign-in screen, use the password for the account (PIN and biometrics are not available in Safe Mode).
      • If sign-in succeeds, once at the desktop:
        • Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
        • Remove the existing PIN and Windows Hello Face/Fingerprint entries.
        • Re-add a PIN and re-enroll Windows Hello.
    3. Use another local administrator account (if available)
      If another admin account exists on the device:
      • Sign in with that account.
      • Open Computer Management and reset the password for the locked local account as described in Change or reset a local account password from another account:
        1. Open Computer Management.
        2. Expand Local Users and Groups > Users.
        3. Right-click the affected user > Set Password....
        4. Enter a new password and confirm.
      • Sign out and sign back in with the updated password on the original account.
    4. If all sign-in methods fail and no admin account is available
      When the password, PIN, Windows Hello, and security questions all fail, and Safe Mode sign-in is not possible, the remaining supported option for a local account is to reset the device:
      • Use the Reset this PC option from Windows Recovery (WinRE) to restore access.
      • This will reinstall Windows; depending on the chosen option, it may remove apps and potentially data, so it should be treated as a last resort.

    If the account is a Microsoft account (not purely local), use the online self-help options referenced under Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows to reset the Microsoft account password, then use that updated password at the Windows sign-in screen.

    References:

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

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