How can I change my pin?

Anne Liebert 0 Reputation points
2026-11-08T00:40:09.8933333+00:00

I am caught in another Catch 22: I can't change my pin because it required me to know my pin! Which I don't. It's such a stupid thing.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accounts, profiles, and login
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  1. GsN5034 - IA 79,830 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-11-08T04:32:00.26+00:00

    Hello,

    1. Could you please let me know whether you’re able to sign in to your device or are stuck at the Windows Hello sign-in screen?
    2. Do you have another sign-in option, such as your Microsoft account password?

    If you’ve forgotten your PIN, select “I forgot my PIN.”

    Usually, if you do that and you set up Windows with a Microsoft account, you’ll be asked to verify your identity using the recovery phone number or email address associated with your account.

    • Please let me know what happens when you try to verify your identity. Are you not receiving the verification code, or are you being returned to the same PIN screen?

    If you’re stuck at the sign-in screen, you can also try starting your PC in Safe Mode and resetting your PIN from there.

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  2. Anne Liebert 0 Reputation points
    2026-11-08T00:41:31.5+00:00

    tried it over and over again. verified my account twenty times?

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  3. AI answer

    2026-11-08T00:40:36.51+00:00

    Select I forgot my PIN instead of Change PIN; the reset process verifies your account and lets you create a new PIN without entering the old one.^1^

    If you are already signed in

    1. Open Start → Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options.
    2. Expand PIN (Windows Hello).
    3. Select I forgot my PIN—not Change PIN.
    4. Complete the account-verification prompts and create a new PIN.

    Change PIN is intended for someone who knows the existing PIN, which is why that option asks for it.

    If you are at the Windows sign-in screen

    • Microsoft account: Select I forgot my PIN below the PIN box and complete verification. This option is available for Microsoft accounts.
    • Local account: Select Sign-in options → Enter your password, sign in with the local-account password, and then reset the PIN from Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options → PIN (Windows Hello) → I forgot my PIN.^1^

    If you also forgot the local-account password, select the password entry option, choose OK → Reset password, and answer the security questions created for that account.

    If you cannot verify your Microsoft account

    From the sign-in screen, use whichever option appears:

    1. Sign-in options → Web sign-in → Forgot my password, or
    2. I forgot my password.

    After recovering the Microsoft account password, return to I forgot my PIN and create the replacement PIN.^1^

    Avoid deleting the Windows Hello/NGC folder unless the documented reset option is unavailable or fails; forgetting the PIN alone does not require that advanced repair.

    References

    1. Change or reset your PIN in Windows | Microsoft Support
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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