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“The referenced account is currently locked out and may not be logged on to” means Windows has blocked the account after too many failed authentication attempts. The computer itself may be fine, and the account may belong to the current PC, a domain, or another computer hosting a shared folder.
The right fix depends on where the message appears. Stop retrying the password, identify which account is affected, then wait for the configured lockout period, unlock the account with an administrator, or remove the stale credential that is repeatedly causing the lockout.
Try these steps first
- Stop entering the password repeatedly. More attempts can restart or extend the lockout process.
- Check the displayed username, Caps Lock, keyboard layout, and whether Windows is asking for a password rather than a PIN.
- Identify whether the account is local, Microsoft-linked, domain-based, or hosted on another PC.
- If no device or service is repeatedly trying an old password, wait longer than the configured lockout duration and try the correct password once.
- Try an already-configured Windows Hello PIN, fingerprint, face recognition, or another administrator account.
There is no universal “30-minute” rule. Lockout thresholds and durations are controlled by local policy, domain policy, or an identity service. Microsoft says newly installed Windows 11 devices use secure defaults of 10 failed attempts, a 10-minute lockout duration, and a 10-minute counter-reset period, but those settings do not apply automatically to every existing PC or organization. See Microsoft’s Windows identity protection guidance.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsIdentify which account is locked
| Clue | Likely account | Who usually fixes it |
|---|---|---|
A simple username or COMPUTERNAMEusername |
Local Windows account | A local administrator |
| An email address used across Microsoft services | Microsoft account | The user through Microsoft recovery |
DOMAINusername or username@domain |
Active Directory or work account | The organization’s administrator |
The message appears while opening \computershare |
Usually an account on the remote computer or domain | The remote PC’s administrator or domain administrator |
A correct password can still fail while an account remains locked. A lockout is also different from a disabled account, expired password, incorrect username format, DNS failure, or a permissions problem.
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If the error appears at the Windows sign-in screen
Local account
If another administrator can sign in, open Computer Management by pressing Windows + X, then select Local Users and Groups → Users. Open the affected account’s properties and clear Account is locked out if that option is present. Also check whether the account is disabled or expired.
This snap-in is not generally available in Windows Home. If the option is missing, the account may not be local, the PC may be running Home, or the lockout may be controlled by domain policy. Do not assume that net user <username> /active:yes unlocks every account: it enables a local account but is not a universal lockout repair.
Microsoft account
An email-address sign-in may be a Microsoft account rather than a local Windows account. Use the sign-in screen’s password-reset or I forgot my PIN option when available, and follow Microsoft’s account-recovery process. An online Microsoft-account security block is not the same as a local Windows account-lockout policy.
Work or domain account
Do not try to bypass a domain lockout by changing local settings. Contact the help desk or domain administrator and ask them to check whether the account is locked, disabled, expired, or authenticating against the expected domain. A local policy on the workstation can be overridden by domain Group Policy.
Wait for the lockout to expire
Waiting is appropriate for a personal, unmanaged PC when no phone, service, task, application, or other computer is likely to be submitting an old password.
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- Stop all sign-in attempts.
- Leave the PC connected to power and wait longer than the configured duration.
- Enter the password carefully once.
- If the account locks again immediately, stop waiting and find the source of the repeated attempts.
Microsoft documents that the lockout duration can be configured from 1 through 99,999 minutes. A value of 0 means the account remains locked until an administrator unlocks it. See the account lockout duration documentation.
Fix the error when opening a shared folder
If the message appears while connecting to a mapped drive, NAS, or path such as \PC-NAMEShared, the locked account may belong to the destination computer—not the PC you are using.
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- Remove saved credentials associated with the target computer or share.
- Open Command Prompt and run:
net use * /deleteConfirm the disconnect if prompted, then reconnect and enter credentials for an account that exists on the destination PC or domain. Microsoft Q&A guidance covers this procedure for shared-folder cases: Credential Manager and net use.
A local account on PC A is not automatically the same identity as a similarly named account on PC B. The username and password must match an account on the destination computer. Reusing a personal interactive account for file sharing can also make troubleshooting harder; a dedicated, properly secured account is usually safer.
Unlock or review local security policy
On Windows editions that include Local Security Policy, press Windows + R, enter secpol.msc, and open Security Settings → Account Policies → Account Lockout Policy. Review:
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- Account lockout threshold
- Account lockout duration
- Reset account lockout counter after
Do not set the threshold to 0 as a routine fix. That disables account lockout and weakens protection against password guessing. Microsoft warns that this can allow brute-force attempts to continue without the protection provided by lockout policy; see its account lockout threshold guidance.
Changing the policy does not necessarily clear an account that is already locked. The account may still need to wait or be unlocked administratively. On a domain-joined PC, the effective setting may come from Group Policy rather than the local computer.
Fix a locked domain or work account
An administrator should unlock the account in Active Directory Users and Computers or the organization’s identity-management system, then verify that the password is not expired and the account is not disabled.
If the account locks again, changing the password repeatedly is unlikely to solve the cause. An old password may still be stored in:
- A phone or tablet
- A mapped drive
- Windows Credential Manager
- A scheduled task
- A Windows service
- A VPN, email client, backup agent, printer, NAS, or application
- Another workstation or disconnected remote session
Microsoft Entra Domain Services has its own managed-domain behavior: Microsoft documents a default of five bad-password attempts within two minutes followed by a 30-minute lockout for that service. That does not automatically describe ordinary Microsoft Entra ID accounts or every Windows PC. See Microsoft’s Entra Domain Services troubleshooting guide.
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Find what keeps locking the account
For on-premises Active Directory, an administrator should inspect the domain controller’s Security log for Event ID 4740, “A user account was locked out.” The event may include the Caller Computer Name, which can identify the workstation submitting the failed credentials. Microsoft notes that the source field can be blank or incomplete, so its absence does not prove that no device caused the lockout. See the Event ID 4740 documentation.
- Record the username and approximate lockout time.
- Check Event ID 4740 on the domain controllers.
- Inspect the reported workstation’s saved credentials, mapped drives, scheduled tasks, services, VPN software, backup tools, and applications.
- Update or remove the stale credential.
- Unlock the account and test from one device.
When no account can sign in
Use the least destructive recovery option available:
- Wait for the configured duration.
- Try another already-configured administrator, PIN, or Windows Hello method.
- Use the official password-reset or account-recovery process.
- Enter Windows Recovery Environment by holding Shift while selecting Power → Restart, or use recovery media.
- Try supported tools such as Startup Repair or System Restore.
- As a last resort, use Reset this PC → Keep my files after backing up data where possible. This preserves personal files but removes applications and resets system configuration.
Commands that activate the built-in Administrator are not a universal repair and require appropriate recovery permissions:
net user administrator /active:yesIf a qualified administrator uses that account for recovery, disable it afterward:
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Should you disable account lockout?
Usually, no. Account lockout protects against repeated password guessing. If a personal, unmanaged PC has an unusual lockout problem, document the original settings before making a measured policy change and preserve monitoring. Do not disable lockout protection on a work computer or use a threshold of zero merely to make the error disappear.
Common questions
Does waiting 30 minutes always work?
No. Thirty minutes applies only when the relevant policy specifies 30 minutes. The duration may be shorter, longer, or indefinite until an administrator unlocks the account.
Does changing the password unlock the account?
Not necessarily. The account can remain locked, and a service or device using the old password can lock it again.
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Sometimes. A Windows Hello PIN or biometric sign-in is device-specific and may continue to work, but Windows can require the password after a restart, policy change, or other security event.
Does Windows Home include Local Security Policy?
Windows Home generally does not include the secpol.msc or gpedit.msc consoles. Use supported Settings, administrative, or recovery options instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the computer itself locked out?
Usually, no. The message normally refers to the account Windows is trying to authenticate, which may belong to the current PC, a domain, or a remote computer.
Why does the account lock again immediately?
A phone, mapped drive, saved credential, scheduled task, service, VPN, application, or another workstation may still be submitting an old password.
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