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If Windows 10 rejects your PIN, fingerprint, or face sign-in with “Your password was changed on a different device,” choose Sign-in options, select the password icon, and sign in once with the current password for the account shown. Then restart and try Windows Hello again. The message does not, by itself, prove that someone changed your password on another PC.
A Windows Hello PIN is different from your Microsoft-account password and is specific to that device. If password sign-in also fails, first check which kind of account you are using and follow the matching recovery steps below.
What the message means
Windows Hello lets you sign in with a PIN, fingerprint, or face. When Windows displays this warning, it is asking you to verify the account password on this PC before it will accept the existing Hello sign-in. That can happen after a genuine password change, but the wording is not proof of a remote change or account compromise. Account or profile changes and a Windows Hello registration problem can also be involved.
- Microsoft-account password: The password for your Microsoft account and associated services.
- Local-account password: A password for an account on this PC; it is not reset by changing a Microsoft-account password.
- Windows Hello PIN: A separate, device-specific sign-in credential. It is not your Microsoft-account password.
- Fingerprint or face: Other Windows Hello sign-in methods. You may need to recover the underlying account or Hello setup before using them again.
Microsoft explains the difference between a PIN and account password in its Windows PIN guidance.
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First, sign in with the account password
- On the sign-in screen, select the account tile that displays the message. Check its username or email address so you do not enter credentials for a different account.
- Select Sign-in options.
- Select the password option, usually shown with a key icon or password field—not the PIN, fingerprint, or face option.
- Enter the current password for the selected account and press Enter or select the sign-in arrow.
If you recently changed a Microsoft-account or work password, enter the new one. Before retrying, check Caps Lock, Num Lock, and the keyboard layout; a different layout can change the symbols you type. Connect the PC to the internet for a Microsoft account. A work or school account may also need access to the organization’s network.
After a successful password sign-in, restart Windows normally and try your PIN. The important step is the successful password sign-in; a restart alone is not a guaranteed credential repair.
If you can sign in but the PIN still fails
Reset the PIN from Windows:
- Open Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
- Expand PIN (Windows Hello).
- Select Change if you know the current PIN, or I forgot my PIN if that option is available, then follow the verification prompts.
- Create a new PIN. If needed, set up fingerprint or face recognition again in Sign-in options.
I forgot my PIN is available for Microsoft accounts, not local accounts. If you do not see it at the lock screen, use password sign-in first; the PIN settings are available after you reach Windows. See Microsoft’s PIN reset instructions.
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If you do not know the Microsoft-account password
Use I forgot my password on the sign-in screen if it appears. Depending on the device and account, Sign-in options > Web sign-in may also be available. Otherwise, reset the password using Microsoft’s forgotten-password recovery page on another device. Microsoft requires identity verification; support agents cannot retrieve or bypass a lost password.
Once you have reset it, connect the Windows 10 PC to the internet, choose password sign-in, and enter the new password. Sign in once before trying the PIN again. If the account is passwordless, use the verification or sign-in method Microsoft offers for that account rather than treating the PIN as its password.
If this is a local Windows account
Choose password sign-in and enter the local account’s password. If it is forgotten, select OK on the sign-in screen and then Reset password, if offered. Answer the security questions set up for that account. If you created a local-account password reset disk before the lockout, you can use it instead; Microsoft’s instructions are for creating and using a local-account reset disk.
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A reset disk must have been made in advance. Resetting a Microsoft-account password will not change a local account’s password. Microsoft describes the distinction between local and Microsoft accounts.
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Company-managed sign-ins may use Microsoft Entra ID, an on-premises Active Directory domain, or Windows Hello for Business. If your organization changed your password, connect to its network before signing in if required. When off-site, use an approved VPN only if your organization supports connecting to it before Windows sign-in. Then select password sign-in and enter your new organizational password.
If password sign-in works but Hello does not, or the organization’s network is unavailable, contact IT. An administrator may need to reset or reprovision the Hello credential. A home-user PIN reset is not a guaranteed repair for a managed account.
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Check the account tile before more recovery attempts
If a password is rejected, confirm that the selected tile is the account you intend to access. Windows may show multiple users, or a device may have personal, work, school, and local accounts. Check the displayed username or email; use Switch user or another tile if available. A valid password for one account will not authenticate a different selected account. Microsoft provides general Windows account-access guidance.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If password sign-in works but the problem keeps returning
If the password is accepted but PIN reset fails, the trouble may be limited to the Windows profile or its Hello registration. Try these options in order, without deleting the affected account:
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- Once you regain access, copy personal files from the old profile to the new one as needed. Do not remove the old profile until you have checked for files and app data stored only there.
- On a managed PC, ask IT to remove and re-enroll the affected Windows Hello credential.
- If the problem began recently and a suitable restore point exists, consider System Restore.
There is no one-click fix that works for every damaged profile or Hello setup. Deleting a user, editing the registry, or removing credential files is not a safe universal remedy and can complicate access to data.
Last resort: Reset this PC
Consider a reset only after trying account recovery and checking whether another administrator account or a restore point can help. In Windows 10, the normal path is Start > Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC > Get started. If you cannot sign in, Windows Recovery Environment also provides reset options.
- Keep my files is designed to preserve personal files, but removes apps and settings. It is not a substitute for a backup.
- Remove everything removes personal files as well as apps and settings.
- Cloud download downloads a fresh Windows image; Local reinstall uses files already on the PC.
Before proceeding, back up files if possible, confirm access to cloud accounts, and locate the BitLocker recovery key if device encryption is enabled. Windows Recovery Environment may require that key. For a business PC, get IT approval first. Read Microsoft’s details on resetting your PC and Windows recovery options.
What not to do
Avoid registry edits, replacing accessibility tools to bypass sign-in, unverified recovery-media commands, and third-party password-bypass utilities. They can weaken security, put encrypted data at risk, or make Windows harder to recover. Use the account’s supported recovery route, an administrator or your organization’s IT team, and Windows recovery options instead.
Windows 10 support status
Windows 10’s standard support ended on October 14, 2025. The PC can continue to run and these sign-in steps may still help, but Windows 10 no longer receives ordinary free Windows Update security fixes or technical support. When your hardware and software permit, plan to move to a supported Windows version.
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