How to Reset a Forgotten Windows Hello PIN in Windows 11

You’re staring at your Windows 11 lock screen, typing a PIN that keeps bouncing back. Use Fix #1 if you sign in with a Microsoft account or Fix #2 if you use a local account, and see Fix #3 if you’ve lost the password too.

What Is Windows Hello PIN?

Windows Hello PIN is a short code (four digits or more by default, though the length and whether letters or symbols are allowed depend on your Windows settings and any organizational policy) that many Windows 11 PCs use instead of a full password. Unlike a password, it’s tied to this specific device’s TPM security chip and never syncs to Microsoft’s servers. That’s exactly why you can’t reset it from another PC the way you’d reset an online password.

That device-bound design is also why forgetting your PIN feels worse than it is. A PIN reset doesn’t erase your personal files or installed apps. On work PCs that use Windows Hello for Business, a reset can re-create the Hello credentials, which can remove keys or certificates tied to the old PIN, per Microsoft Learn.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

• Your Microsoft account password (if this PC signs in with a Microsoft account)
• Your local account password (if this PC uses an offline/local account)
• A phone or another device handy, in case you need to verify your identity or reset an account password separately
• A working Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection, since PIN reset for a Microsoft account normally needs internet access to verify your identity
• A Windows 11 installation or recovery USB drive, only needed if you’re fully locked out with no known password

Requirement	Details
Device	Windows 11 PC (steps also apply to Windows 10)
OS version	Windows 11, any edition
Account type	Microsoft account or local account; the recovery path differs
Internet connection	Required for Microsoft account verification during reset

Not sure which account type you have? Open Settings > Accounts and check whether your name shows an email address (Microsoft account) or just a username with no email (local account).

Step-by-Step Guide

Fix #1: Reset Your PIN With “I Forgot My PIN” (Microsoft Account)

This is the fastest path. It works right from the lock screen, no sign-in needed first.

• On the Windows 11 lock screen, enter your PIN incorrectly, or click Sign-in options (the small link below the PIN field).

• Select the PIN icon from the list of sign-in options if it isn’t already selected.
• Click I forgot my PIN, which appears directly under the PIN field.

• Enter your Microsoft account password when prompted.
• Complete the two-factor verification step. It’s usually a code sent to your phone number, email, or the Microsoft Authenticator app.
• Once verified, type a new PIN and confirm it in the second field.
• Click OK to save the new PIN and finish signing in.

Tip: If the network icon on the lock screen shows you’re offline, connect to Wi-Fi first. Microsoft account verification normally needs an internet connection, and the verification methods you’re offered depend on your account and device settings.

Fix #2: Reset Your PIN From Settings (Local Account)

Local accounts don’t get an “I forgot my PIN” link on the lock screen. That shortcut only exists for Microsoft accounts, because it’s the Microsoft account password and 2FA that verify your identity remotely. If you use a local account, you have to get past the lock screen with your local password first.

• On the lock screen, click Sign-in options, select the key/password icon, and sign in using your local account password.
• Once signed in, open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options. You can also press Win + R, type ms-settings:signinoptions, and press Enter to jump straight there.

• Click PIN (Windows Hello) to expand it.
• If you still know your old PIN, click Change PIN. If you don’t, click I forgot my PIN when it’s offered. You don’t need Remove to reset a forgotten PIN, and it may be unavailable or blocked by policy on work or school PCs.
• Follow the verification prompt. Windows may ask for your account password or another sign-in credential you’ve set up before it lets you set a new PIN.
• Enter and confirm a new PIN, then click OK.

Note: If I forgot my PIN isn’t offered and Remove is greyed out, scroll down on the Sign-in options page and check whether For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device is turned on. Turning it off usually makes Remove available, after which you can create a new PIN with Set up. If the controls stay greyed out on a work or school PC, ask your IT department.

Fix #3: Recover Access When You Don’t Know Your Password Either

If you’re locked out of both the PIN and the account password, you need a different way in before you can touch the PIN settings at all.

If it’s a Microsoft account: Reset the account password from another device, a phone, tablet, or different computer. Follow Microsoft’s steps to reset your Microsoft account password in a browser, verify your identity, and set a new password. Then return to your locked PC and use Fix #1 with the new password.

If it’s a local account: Try Microsoft’s local account password reset options first.

• Security questions: On the sign-in screen, enter any password, select OK, then select Reset password. Answer the security questions you set up when you created the account, choose a new password, sign in, and then set a new PIN with Fix #2. This only works if security questions were set up.
• Password reset disk: If you made one, select Use a password reset disk instead and follow the prompts.
• Another administrator: If someone else on the PC has an administrator account, they can sign in, open Computer Management > Local Users and Groups > Users, right-click your account, and select Set Password. This sets a new password rather than recovering the old one, and it can cut off access to EFS-encrypted files and saved credentials tied to the old password, so use it only after security questions or a reset disk aren’t an option.

If none of those work, Microsoft says you’ll need to reset your Windows device, which can remove your files and apps. Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) is where that reset lives. It can’t recover a password on its own, so treat it as the last resort.

• On the lock screen, click the power button, hold Shift, and click Restart. If you can’t reach the lock screen at all, interrupt startup a few times (hold the power button to force a shutdown as Windows tries to load). After several interrupted starts, Windows may enter Automatic Repair or WinRE; if it doesn’t, boot from Windows installation or recovery media instead.
• Wait for the Choose an option screen to appear.

• Select Troubleshoot. Reset this PC is on this screen. Advanced options holds repair tools such as Startup Repair and System Restore, none of which reset an account password.

• Only select Reset this PC once you’ve ruled out the options above and understand the choice you’re making, because it can remove your apps and, depending on the option, your personal files.

Opening WinRE and browsing its menus doesn’t change anything by itself. Don’t select Reset this PC or boot from recovery media without a backup and a clear understanding of the option you pick.

Configuration: Setting a Stronger PIN Recovery Setup

Once you’re back in, spend two minutes making sure this doesn’t happen again.

• Open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
• Under PIN (Windows Hello), confirm the PIN is set and working.
• If your account is local, consider converting it to a Microsoft account (Settings > Accounts > Your info > Sign in with a Microsoft account instead) so you get the lock-screen “I forgot my PIN” shortcut and online password recovery. If you keep a local account, set up security questions or a password reset disk.
• Set up a second Windows Hello sign-in method, like face or fingerprint recognition, if your PC has a compatible camera or fingerprint reader. Either one can get you signed in even when the PIN slips your mind.
• Write your account password down somewhere safe, a password manager, not a sticky note on the monitor. It’s your fallback credential for every PIN reset path above.

Tips and Troubleshooting

• PIN reset stuck on “Verifying”: Check your Wi-Fi connection from the lock screen’s network icon. A dropped connection mid-verification is the most common cause of a stalled reset.
• “I forgot my PIN” missing even on a Microsoft account: Some enterprise-managed or work-provisioned PCs disable this link via policy. If your PC was set up by an employer or school IT department, contact them instead of trying registry workarounds.
• New PIN won’t save, error about matching security requirements: Windows sometimes blocks overly simple PINs (like 1111 or 1234) on business-managed devices. Try a longer, non-sequential PIN.
• Fingerprint or face unlock still works even though the PIN doesn’t: Use it to sign in normally, then go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > PIN (Windows Hello) and select I forgot my PIN (or Remove, if available) to set up a fresh PIN. Windows may ask you to verify your account password first.

Wrapping Up

Fix #1 or Fix #2 is the quickest route back in for most people. Which one applies comes down to a single detail: does Windows show an email address or just a username under your account name?

The real headache is a local account with a forgotten password, no security questions, no reset disk, and no second admin account, because that ends in a PC reset. Switching to a Microsoft account, or at least storing your local password somewhere safe, is worth doing the moment you’re back in.

Step	Action	Applies To
1	Click “I forgot my PIN” on lock screen, verify with password + 2FA	Microsoft account
2	Sign in with local password, reset PIN via Settings > Sign-in options	Local account
3	Reset the password (online, security questions, reset disk, or another admin); reset the PC only as a last resort	No known password either
4	Set up biometric sign-in and memorize account password	Prevention

Resources

• Change or reset your PIN in Windows (Microsoft Support)
• PIN reset – Windows Hello for Business (Microsoft Learn)