My Windows Passkey changed after chaning my CPU

Question

My Windows Passkey changed after chaning my CPU

Johannes 25

I changed my CPU about a month ago and since then it always asks me to insert a Security key to access my Passkey. I am not able to put my old CPU into my computer and it wont let me change my Passkey without the "Security key", which most likely refers to my old CPU. How do i change it to my current CPU or remove it?

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Kai-H 30,565 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi, @Johannes

On most modern PCs, the TPM chip that stores your Windows Hello PIN and passkeys is built into the CPU. When you swapped the CPU, that storage was wiped. Windows is still pointing to the old data, so it falls back to asking for a "Security key" that doesn't exist. Your old passkeys can't be moved to the new CPU, but you can clear out what's left of them.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Make sure the TPM is turned on. Restart into the BIOS and check that AMD fTPM or Intel PTT is enabled. A CPU swap can switch it off. Back in Windows, press Win + R, type tpm.msc, and check that it says "The TPM is ready for use."

Clear the old PIN data. Before you start, make sure you know your Microsoft account password, because you'll need it to sign in afterward. Open Command Prompt as administrator and run: icacls C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Ngc /T /Q /C /RESET Then go to that folder, delete everything inside Ngc, and restart. Next, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and set up a new PIN. This removes the leftover passkeys that are tied to the old CPU.

If it still asks for a security key, go to Windows Security > Device security > Security processor details > Security processor troubleshooting > Clear TPM. If BitLocker or Device Encryption is on, save your recovery key from aka.ms/myrecoverykey first.

After that, sign in to each website with your password and create a new passkey there.

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Answer 1

Paul Rickett 0

I am a 70 year old laptop novice thus any help would be greatly appreciated.

My grandson has locked me out of my laptop by too many attempts at my windows pin, believing it was my password.

Microsoft haven’t been able to help!

The screen is blue with one box asking for the pin, which I have forgotten. There’s no other box! I’ve tried rebooting by depressing the shift and power keys simultaneously which takes me to the advanced settings menu etc None of them including trouble shoots have worked. Any idea 🤯

Kai-H 30,565 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-11-08T07:40:45.67+00:00

Hi, Paul Rickett

Don't worry, this can usually be fixed without losing anything. After too many wrong PIN tries, Windows locks the PIN for a while to protect your files. It doesn't change your actual password.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

Connect to the internet first. On the blue screen, look at the bottom right corner for the Wi-Fi symbol. Click it and connect to your home Wi-Fi. A link that says"I forgot my PIN" should then appear under the PIN box. Click it, enter your Microsoft account password, and Microsoft will send a code to your email or phone. Type in the code and you can create a new PIN. If you don't know your Microsoft account password either, your grandson can reset it for you on his phone at account.live.com/password/reset.

If the screen asks you to type A1B2C3, type exactly that. It's just a check that a real person is at the keyboard, and it gives you one more try.

If the PIN box is still blocked, plug the laptop in and leave it switched on at that screen for about 2 to 3 hours without touching it. The lock clears a little more for every 10 minutes the laptop stays on. Then restart and try step 1 again.

As a last resort, use the blue menu you already found and choose Troubleshoot > Reset this PC > Keep my files. Your documents and photos stay, but you'll need to reinstall your apps. If the laptop asks for a "recovery key," your grandson can find it by signing in to your Microsoft account at aka.ms/myrecoverykey.

Please let us know how you get on.