need to recover account

At the Windows 11 sign-in screen, select Sign-in options → Password and use the password for the old Microsoft account; this bypasses the forgotten device PIN without requiring a PIN reset, provided the password option is displayed and the old password is known. ^1^

Try the supported sign-in alternatives first

1. Select Sign-in options below the PIN box.
2. Choose the Password icon.
3. Enter the password belonging to the old Microsoft account—not the PIN or the password for the new account.
4. If Web sign-in is offered, select Web sign-in → Forgot my password and follow the prompts. This may still require access to existing verification methods. ^1^
5. If another account appears at the lower-left of the sign-in screen, try it only if it is your account and you know its credentials.

If Windows instead shows a local account, select Sign-in options → Password. After an incorrect password attempt, select OK → Reset password, then answer the security questions created for that local account. ^1^

Once signed in, immediately copy the documents to an external drive. Then open Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options → PIN (Windows Hello) → I forgot my PIN to create a new PIN.

Since the recovery form was rejected

Use Microsoft’s Sign-in Helper as the next official account-recovery check. If it directs you back to the recovery form, Microsoft permits up to two submissions per day. For a new submission:

• Use the new, accessible email account as the contact address.
• Complete it from the old computer or another previously used device, preferably from the usual home location.
• Include old passwords and accurate details about Outlook contacts and exact subject lines, Skype, Xbox, or Microsoft purchases associated with the old account.

Microsoft normally sends the result to the contact address within 24 hours. If two-step verification was enabled and every verification method is unavailable, Microsoft cannot override it. Support agents also cannot issue reset links or change account details. ^2^

For account-specific or device-recovery guidance, use Contact Microsoft Support, enter the sign-in problem, select Get Help, and then Contact Support if offered. The new Microsoft account can be used to contact them, but support cannot bypass identity verification. ^1^

Last resort: Reset this PC while keeping files

Do not reset yet if the documents are irreplaceable. Keep my files is not a verified backup, and an encrypted computer may require its BitLocker recovery key.

First locate the 48-digit BitLocker key. Check:

• The old Microsoft account, if access is recovered.
• A printed copy.
• A USB drive where it may have been saved.
• A work or school account if the computer was ever managed by an organization.

Microsoft Support cannot retrieve or recreate a lost BitLocker key. If the drive requires that key and it cannot be found, resetting the device removes the files. ^3^

Only after locating the key, or accepting the remaining data-loss risk:

1. At the sign-in screen, hold Shift while selecting Power → Restart.
2. In Windows Recovery Environment, select Troubleshoot → Reset this PC.
3. Select Keep my files, not Remove everything.
4. Follow the prompts and supply the BitLocker key if requested.

Keep my files reinstalls Windows and preserves personal files, but removes installed applications and settings. Do not interrupt the reset while the screen is black or the computer is restarting. ^4^

Avoid online instructions that use Command Prompt to create or enable an administrator account from the recovery environment. That is not a supported substitute for authenticating to the existing account and can put the documents at further risk.

References

1. Change or reset your PIN in Windows | Microsoft Support
2. Help with the Microsoft account recovery form | Microsoft Support
3. Find your BitLocker recovery key
4. [Windows 11](https://support.microsoft.com/windows/experience/backup-recovery/reset-your-pc#summary)