Troubleshoot problems signing in to Windows

In some cases, restarting your device can resolve sign-in issues. This is often one of the first troubleshooting steps to try as it can clear temporary system errors that may be causing the problem

If updates are available, select Power > Update and restart to restart your device and finish installing updates. 

In some cases, you might not be able to sign-in without an Internet connection.

Make sure you’re connected to the internet by selecting Network  on the lock screen of your device. If you’re having problems connecting to Wi-Fi or the signal is weak, try connecting your device directly to the router or modem with an Ethernet cable.

If connectivity problems persist, check your internet connection using a different device to see if it’s a network problem.

Try the following when typing your password to sign in:

• Type your password using the on-screen keyboard. Select Accessibility  > On-screen keyboard and select the keys to type your password

• Make sure Caps Lock is off

• Check that you’re entering the right information: a password in the Password field or a PIN in the PIN field. If you’re using a Microsoft account, you can switch between entering a PIN and a password by selecting Sign-in options

• If you use more than one keyboard layout, make sure the keyboard language you’re trying to use is selected. To check your keyboard layout, select the input method (a three-letter code in the bottom-right corner)

• If you recently changed your password, try entering your previous one again. If your previous password works, you’ll need to lock your device and then unlock it using your new password

• Test your password by using another device to sign in to account.microsoft.com. If your password works, but account.microsoft.com shows your account is locked or interrupted, the site will walk you through those issues

• Before typing your password or PIN, select Reveal . This way, you can double-check that you’re typing the right password or PIN before you enter it

If you're having trouble using your PIN to sign in, try to reset your PIN..

If you're having trouble using your password to sign in, try to reset your password.

If you have multiple accounts on your device, try signing in with another account.

On the sign-in screen, select another account from the list in the lower left. To sign in with an account that’s not listed, select Other user and type that account’s credentials.

Starting your device in Safe Mode can help troubleshoot sign-in problems. If you can sign in using Safe Mode, it means that basic device drivers and default settings weren’t causing the sign-in problem.

To restart in Safe Mode:

1. Restart your device by selecting Power  > Restart. When you see the sign-in screen, hold the Shift key while you select Power > Restart

2. After your PC restarts to the Choose an option screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart

3. After your PC restarts, you'll see a list of options. The preferred option is to select 5 or press F5 for Safe Mode with Networking

Learn more about signing in to Safe Mode when you experience a black screen or blank screen problem.

If you try to sign in and receive the error message, We can't sign in to your account, Windows will create a temporary profile and sign you in to that one.

Learn more about this error message.