Error when you debug an app in Visual Studio 2013: Windows Simulator needs your current credentials

This article helps you resolve the error (Windows Simulator needs your current credentials) that occurs when you debug an app in Microsoft Visual Studio 2013. This problem occurs after you upgrade to Windows 8.1.

Original product version:   Visual Studio Professional 2013
Original KB number:   2898148

Symptoms

Assume that you have Visual Studio Professional 2013 installed on Windows 8 and then you upgrade to Windows 8.1 by using the option that preserves applications and settings. In this situation, when you try to use the Windows Simulator in Visual Studio 2013 to debug an app, you receive the following error message:

Windows Simulator needs your current credentials. Please lock this computer, then unlock it using your current password and run the Windows Simulator again.

However, locking, unlocking, or restarting your computer does not resolve this issue.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, apply the Windows 8.1 update rollups from the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles:

Note

You must restart the computer after you apply the updates.

References

For more information, see Known issues for Visual Studio 2013.