Domain issue with / and The “Trust Relationship Between This Workstation And The Primary Domain Failed”

Question

Hi,

We have a domain with Windows 2022 Server and many machines that all joined that domain.

Sometimes the user cannot login to the domain (with RDP or locally) and getting the Error

Trust Relationship Between This Workstation And The Primary Domain Failed.

what I did do in the past, I do de joined the domain and restart and join the domain again.

But it not the solution to do that every time. I have to understand why and need a better solution way.

Password reset does not help me.

Any Idea?

Regards

Nick

Answer 1

Hello PerserPolis-1732,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

Do you have any Windows server 2025 Domain Controllers in this domain?

Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot:

1. Verify Time Synchronization

Kerberos (which underpins domain authentication) is sensitive to time differences between the client and the domain controller. Ensure that all systems (both clients and domain controllers) are synchronized to the same time source.

2. Check for Network Connectivity and DNS Issues

Ensure that the affected workstations can reliably resolve and reach a domain controller.  

Misconfigurations in DNS or intermittent network problems may cause disruptions in the secure channel.

3. Understand Machine Account Password Reset Behavior

By default, Windows periodically changes the computer account password (usually every 30 days). If a machine is off the network for longer than this period or has network issues at the time of the automatic reset, its locally stored machine account password may no longer match what’s in Active Directory.  

Consider whether power management, extended disconnections, or sleep/hibernation cycles could be affecting the timing of these resets.

4. Use the Test-ComputerSecureChannel Command

Instead of leaving and rejoining the domain manually, you can repair the trust relationship with PowerShell. Open PowerShell as an administrator and run:    

$credential = Get-Credential  

Test-ComputerSecureChannel –Repair –Credential $credential

This command asks for a domain account’s credentials (rights to reset the computer’s secure channel) and repairs the relationship without the need to remove and rejoin the domain. If you see that many machines are affected over time, you might schedule a script that runs during startup or during off-peak hours to test and repair the secure channel automatically.

5. Review Group Policy and Domain Settings

Double-check security policies that might have tightened requirements—especially if the environment was recently upgraded to Windows Server 2022 and newer client OS versions are involved.

6. Check for Duplicate, Disabled, or Stale Computer Accounts 

Sometimes issues occur if, for example, computer accounts are inadvertently duplicated or if there are remnants of old computer entries that interfere with the proper authentication of the actual machine.  

If after checking these areas the problem persists, please look into whether any recent changes (like updates, policy adjustments, or hardware/network modifications) could be contributing to the breakdown.

I hope the information above is helpful.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let us know.

Best Regards,

Daisy Zhou

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