"Locked out of Windows 10 after syncing a Microsoft account (Gmail). The password works on the website but is rejected at the login screen

Question

I am experiencing a critical login issue on Windows 10 after attempting to link my local account to my Microsoft account (Gmail). Although the linking process appeared successful, the login screen now rejects my password, claiming it is incorrect. I have already verified that the password works perfectly on the Microsoft website using another device, so the credentials themselves are accurate. I have also ensured that the keyboard language is correct and that the PC has a stable internet connection at the login screen to sync the changes, but the system continues to reject both the new Microsoft password and the previous local one. I am currently locked out of my desktop and looking for a way to bypass this synchronization error or restore access to my account without losing any data.

Answer 1

Hi Amit Ophir,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A!

I’m really sorry you’re being locked out after switching to a Microsoft account, while knowing your password is correct. Since Q&A Assist already covered all the standard sign‑in recovery paths but those didn’t work, unfortunately there’s not much you can do.

This seems to be a local user profile corrupted case, meaning Windows may reject all credentials even if your account is valid. Your data is still on the disk, but now you have lost access to it. Since Windows 10 is also EOS, here are your remaining options:

1 - Use another administrator account

• If any other admin account exists on the PC, log in with it.
• If there’s none, attempt to enable the built‑in Administrator account:
  • At the sign‑in screen, select Power > Restart while holding Shift
  • Keep holding Shift to enter WinRE (or force shutdown into it)
  • Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Command Prompt
  • Run: net user administrator /active:yes > restart the PC
  • The Administrator account may appear (no password)
• After signing in, open File Explorer > access C:\Users\<your profile>
• Check if your files are still intact > back them up to external drive
• You can create another profile on PC and copy the files there.

Disclaimer: Built-in account bypasses normal Windows security protections and may trigger BitLocker recovery (if enabled), so make sure you have the key prepared. It can leave the system in an unsupported state so once done, immediately hide it by running net user administrator /active:no.

2 - Recover files offline:

• As mentioned above, files can be copied from C:\Users\
• You can try recovery media or use another PC to back up your files. 
• For safe transfer, you can reach out to a professional data recovery service.
• Some third-party data recovery tools can help, but research and be careful using them.

I’m sorry for not being able to provide more effective solutions. Unfortunately, once all administrator sign‑ins fail, Windows intentionally provides no supported way to bypass authentication. This is a security design decision, which we cannot workaround.

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Answer 2

Follow these steps in order to regain access without data loss:

1. Restart and check basic sign‑in options

• At the sign‑in screen, confirm the correct account is selected.
• Try all available sign‑in methods for that account: password, PIN, and any Windows Hello options (face/fingerprint) if shown.
• If the password still fails, select the I forgot my password or I forgot my PIN link on the sign‑in screen and follow the on‑screen reset flow. This uses Microsoft’s online reset and can fix mismatches between the device and the account.

2. Use Safe Mode to sign in with the password Safe Mode uses only basic drivers and can bypass some sign‑in issues.

1. From the sign‑in screen:

• Select Power > Restart.
• While clicking Restart, hold down Shift.

2. After restart, on Choose an option:

• Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.

3. On the Startup Settings screen:

• Press 5 or F5 for Safe Mode with Networking.

4. On the Safe Mode sign‑in screen:

• Sign in using the Microsoft account password (or local password if that account is still listed).

If sign‑in works in Safe Mode, restart normally and try again. If it still fails in normal mode, stay signed in via Safe Mode to perform the next steps.

3. Try a different account to repair the profile If another local or Microsoft account exists on the device:

• On the normal sign‑in screen, choose Other user or another listed account.
• Sign in with that account.
• Once signed in, check for Windows updates and install them; then restart and test the problematic account again.

If the original profile is corrupted, use the guidance under Fix a corrupted user profile from the sign‑in troubleshooting article to repair or recreate the profile while preserving data.

4. Use official self‑help for account/password issues If the device still rejects the password even though it works on the web:

• Follow the steps in Change or reset your Windows password to ensure the device is using the latest credentials.
• If the account is a Microsoft account and there are issues with verification codes or sign‑in, use Forgot your Microsoft account password and the Sign‑in helper to confirm the account is healthy.

5. As a last resort: access data via another account If none of the above restores direct sign‑in but another admin account can sign in:

• Sign in with the working admin account.
• Copy data from C:\Users\<locked_profile> to another profile.
• Then follow Fix a corrupted user profile guidance to rebuild the broken account/profile.

These steps focus on restoring sign‑in without reinstalling Windows, so existing data on the disk remains intact.

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References:

• User Account Access in Windows
• Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows
• Change From a Local Account to a Microsoft Account in Windows