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Windows keeps going to 2 hour login lockout with no failed attempts.

Whydoeswindows staybroken 5 Reputation points
2025-10-17T02:52:39.0366667+00:00

My windows 11 machine will not allow me to login. I found an answer that says to wait the 2 hour period and then login. The response from that user is that they did that and was not allowed to log in.

So, I am trying to log in using a PIN. Whether I put it in right or wrong does not make a difference. I receive the message that too many restarts or failed attempts happened and the PIN login is disabled. I need to use a different method or wait two hours to login.

I tried a bio metric method. It received the same message. I tried to wait 2 hours with the screen open. I did not keep the screen on so this may have affected it. I am going to try again.

What would cause this issue when there was no failed attempts to login? The computer is in a carrying case and usually off when it is not being used. Only two people use it and both of us know all the information to get in. No failed attempts happen, especially enough to cause a 2 hour lockout.

Is Microsoft aware of their issue? Or, does everyone think that it is a local issue?

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

2 answers

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  1. Whydoeswindows staybroken 5 Reputation points
    2025-10-17T03:02:24.64+00:00

    There is a work around that gets you in but requires you to reset your pin. You get back to the login but do not try to login. Select the "I forgot my PIN" link and follow all the prompts. You will need a second device to access your email to get the code that is sent.

  2. Carl-L 2,705 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-10-17T09:45:53.05+00:00

    Hello Whydoeswindows staybroken,

    Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum. It's my pleasure to help you today.

    I understand how frustrating it can be when you got a 2-hour lockout without knowing what the cause of this could be. The reasons for this vary from an auto login that using outdated credentials or saved credentials from another device.

    It's great to hear that you have found a way to work around it for now. To check what is causing this, please follow these steps:

    • Check Event Viewer
      1. Type "Event Viewer" on the search bar and press Enter.
      2. Go to Windows Logs > Security
      3. Look for event ID 4740 (code for account lockout event) and double click it to see the details.
      4. You can find the source that caused the lockout there.
    • Use Lockout Status Tool This is a Microsoft tool that helps check and display lockout information of a user account. You can download this tool at the Microsoft official website.

    Tracking down the source of lockdown can help a lot in determine the cause of this situation. Next step, we should take steps to prevent this from happening.

    • Clear stored credentials As I said previously, an auto log in with outdated credentials might cause this. To make sure, we should remove all credentials and log in again.
      1. Type "Credentials Manager" on the search bar and press Enter.
      2. Remove any passwords that is related to your Microsoft account.
    • Reset all Windows Hello option.

    Please let me know if there are any updates.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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