Try these steps in order:
- Restart the PC once.
- On the sign-in screen, select Power > Restart.
- If updates are pending, use Update and restart.
- Check whether the sign-in screen is using a local Windows profile instead of showing the Microsoft account email.
- If the screen shows only initials and a username with no email, Windows may be presenting the existing device profile rather than asking for a Microsoft account address.
- Enter the password for the account currently shown. If the device was using a Microsoft account, use that Microsoft account password.
- Look for recovery options on the sign-in screen.
- Select I forgot my password or I forgot my PIN if either link appears.
- If a PIN option appears later, use Sign-in options to switch between password, PIN, or Windows Hello methods.
- If the password is correct but Windows still will not accept it, use account recovery.
- On another device, use Recover your account and enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name used to sign in.
- Make sure the email domain is correct, such as
.comversus a country-specific domain. - If one alias is not recognized, try another alias or phone number associated with the same Microsoft account.
- If the issue started after the reset and Windows is stuck on a broken PIN flow, start in Safe Mode with Networking and sign in with the password instead of PIN.
- On the sign-in screen, select Power.
- Hold Shift and select Restart.
- Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart.
- When the options appear, press 5 for Safe Mode with Networking.
- At the sign-in screen, select Sign-in options.
- Choose Password and sign in with the Microsoft account password.
- After sign-in, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
- Select PIN (Windows Hello) > Remove.
- Restart normally, then return to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and select PIN (Windows Hello) > Add.
- If the account name itself is unclear, identify which Microsoft account is tied to the device from another signed-in device.
- In Windows 10/11, go to Start > Settings > Accounts.
- Under Email & app accounts, check the usernames associated with the device.
- In Office apps, open File > Account and check Belongs to.
- If Windows still says the username cannot be found or the shown sign-in name no longer works, contact Microsoft support and report that the username has stopped working.
If the only available path is Reset this PC again, that is destructive and can remove files and apps, so it should be treated as a last resort.
- Troubleshoot Problems Signing In to Windows | Microsoft Support
- User Account Access in Windows | Microsoft Support
- I can't sign in to my Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
- My username and password have stopped working | Microsoft Support
- Check products or services where you used your Microsoft account | Microsoft Support
- I factory reset my laptop and when I log in, my email address appears, but instead of asking for my PIN, it says I need to set a new PIN because there were changes, and it doesn't give me an option to do so; it says there's no application that can do it. - Microsoft Q&A