Windows keeps asking for a PIN you do not remember
Why does my laptop keep asking for a PIN I don't remember?
Written by The CommonFixes team · fact checked by CommonFixes review desk
Last updated
Short answer
Windows Hello sets up a PIN during setup, and once it exists Windows prefers it at every sign-in. The PIN is tied to that one device, so it is not your Microsoft password and it is easy to forget on a machine you rarely lock. The quickest thing to try first: use i forgot my pin on the sign-in screen — Click I forgot my PIN under the PIN box. Sign in with your Microsoft account password, confirm the code sent to your email or phone, and set a new PIN. This is the normal route and keeps all your files and settings. Most people are done in about 12 minutes.
Full walkthrough below: 6 steps for Windows, rated easy.
Sounds like this
- •The sign-in box asks for a PIN, not your password
- •Your Microsoft password is refused because the box wants a PIN
- •It appeared after a Windows update or a new setup
Why it happens
Windows Hello sets up a PIN during setup, and once it exists Windows prefers it at every sign-in. The PIN is tied to that one device, so it is not your Microsoft password and it is easy to forget on a machine you rarely lock.
Work through these in order
0% done- 1
Use I forgot my PIN on the sign-in screen
Click I forgot my PIN under the PIN box. Sign in with your Microsoft account password, confirm the code sent to your email or phone, and set a new PIN. This is the normal route and keeps all your files and settings.
- 2
Switch to your password instead
On the sign-in screen click Sign-in options, the little key icon, and pick the password option. That gets you into Windows now, and you can sort the PIN out afterwards.
- 3
Reset the PIN once you are signed in
Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, PIN (Windows Hello), then I forgot my PIN. Set something you will remember. Tick Include letters and symbols if a four digit number feels too easy to forget.
- 4
Clear a broken PIN store
If resetting fails with an error, sign in with your password, open Command Prompt as administrator and run: takeown /f C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Ngc /r /d y then icacls C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Ngc /grant administrators:F /t. Delete everything inside the Ngc folder, restart, and set a fresh PIN. This is Microsoft's documented repair for a corrupted Hello store.
- 5
Stop it asking for a PIN in future
Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options, and remove the PIN once a password is in place. On a home desktop you can also turn off Require sign-in when waking from sleep.
- 6
For a work or school laptop
Do not try the folder repair. Ring your IT desk, since the PIN is bound to your organisation's policy and they can reset it from their side in a minute.
If none of that worked
If it is a local account with no Microsoft email attached and no other admin account, the PIN cannot be recovered. Back up your files by taking the drive out or booting from a USB stick, then reinstall Windows.
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The CommonFixes team
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We are a small group of people who spend our days repairing laptops and desktops for family, friends and small offices. Every guide here starts with a problem someone actually brought to us, and we only write down the steps that put the machine right.
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This guide was last updated on 10 August 2026. If a step no longer matches what you see on screen, tell us on the contact page and we will test it again.
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