How to Reset a Forgotten Windows 11 PIN (No Data Loss)

Getting locked out of Windows 11 because a PIN won't work is a different problem than losing an account password, and it calls for a different fix. This guide walks through how to reset a forgotten Windows 11 PIN, starting with the safest built-in option and working toward backup routes for when the standard reset screen won't cooperate. Which method applies depends on one thing first: whether the device signs in with a Microsoft account or a local account, since the two paths split almost immediately (Microsoft Support).

The PIN is tied to the Windows device rather than being your Microsoft account password, even though resetting it usually runs through that password along the way (Microsoft Support). That distinction matters for the file-safety question in the headline, too: every supported reset flow covered below works from the sign-in screen or Settings and doesn't touch installed apps or personal files. The one option that can, Reset this PC, shows up only at the very end of this guide, as a true last resort rather than a routine step.

Before trying anything, confirm two things: which account type is signed in on the locked device, and whether there's still access to the phone number or email tied to that account right now. Microsoft's own Q&A forum has documented several ways the reset screen itself can misbehave over the past year: "I forgot my PIN" never appears, the reset window goes blank, or the PC insists it has no internet connection despite a visibly active Wi-Fi icon (Microsoft Q&A; Microsoft Q&A).

Which reset path fits your account

Windows 11 sign-in recovery splits into three situations, and picking the wrong one just burns time.

• A Microsoft account with the password still remembered. Start with the sign-in screen reset below.
• A Microsoft account with both the PIN and password forgotten. Skip ahead to resetting the password first.
• A local account. The "I forgot my PIN" link won't appear at all, since Microsoft limits that option to Microsoft accounts; local accounts fall back on the security questions set up when the account was created (Microsoft Support).

Windows 11 PIN reset from the sign-in screen

If the device uses a Microsoft account and the password is still known, this is the fastest fix and needs no extra tools.

1. On the PIN entry screen, click I forgot my PIN.
2. Sign in with the Microsoft account password linked to the device, even if it's an old address that isn't used much anymore (Microsoft Q&A).
3. Follow the identity verification prompts Windows shows next.
4. Set a new PIN once verification completes (Microsoft Q&A).

If more than one account is set up on the PC, select the specific one tied to the PIN being reset before continuing (Microsoft Support).

One fallback worth knowing about if Microsoft account sign-in fails partway through: a 25-digit backup code can get you back in. That detail comes from a Microsoft Q&A community response rather than official support documentation, so treat it as something to try, not a guaranteed route (Microsoft Q&A).

Forgot Windows Hello PIN Windows 11: when "I forgot my PIN" doesn't appear

Local accounts never show this link by design. Some Microsoft account holders report it missing too, or present but unresponsive. If you don't know the account password either, stop here and jump to the password-reset section below first, since nothing in this section works without it.

Microsoft account path

1. On the sign-in screen, select Sign-in options, then Enter your password (Microsoft Support).
2. Once signed in, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > PIN (Windows Hello).
3. Select Remove, or select I forgot my PIN from that screen if it's offered there (Microsoft Support).
4. Set up a new PIN from the same menu.

Local account path

Select Reset password at the sign-in screen and answer the security questions chosen when the account was first created (Microsoft Support).

One distinction trips people up here: changing a PIN requires entering the old one, while resetting is the only route once it's genuinely forgotten. Windows treats these as two separate flows even though the end result, a working PIN again, looks identical (Microsoft Support).

Locked out of your Microsoft account too? Reset the password first

Password recovery is the piece to handle before anything else if it's also missing. Microsoft offers three official routes:

• Select I forgot my password at the sign-in screen (Microsoft Support).
• Select Sign-in options > Web sign-in, follow the prompts, then choose Forgot my password (Microsoft Support).
• From any browser on another device, open Microsoft's password reset page (Microsoft Support).

When a locked PC can't manage any of this on its own, a phone or a second computer works just as well. A Microsoft Q&A thread from last year walked through exactly that scenario: reset the password at account.live.com/password/reset from another device first, then return to the locked PC to finish signing in (Microsoft Q&A).

In one documented case from last year, the reset flow itself wasn't the obstacle at all. A user couldn't retrieve the verification code because the password on the linked email account had been changed by someone else, and recovery stalled until that person was available to unlock it (Microsoft Q&A). Worth checking now, before anything goes wrong: which email address and phone number are actually on file for the account.

Windows 11 PIN unavailable fix: when "Set up my PIN" does nothing

The research turns up two different failure modes worth separating, since they call for different checks.

The first: clicking Set up my PIN produces nothing at all. No window opens, and other sign-in options like password or fingerprint aren't even listed on the screen (Microsoft Q&A). An older thread documents a related version of this: clicking "I forgot my PIN" shows a loading spinner, then a blank window labeled "Microsoft Account" that never progresses (Microsoft Q&A).

The second: clicking reset throws a message claiming the PC isn't connected to the internet, even with an active connection icon visible. In one report, trying the other verification method, a code sent by email instead of text, worked despite the apparent connection problem (Microsoft Q&A).

Set up my PIN not working in Windows 11: what to try

1. Confirm the network icon actually shows a connection, and switch to Ethernet if Wi-Fi is the one being blamed (Microsoft Q&A).
2. Try the other verification method, email instead of text or vice versa, rather than repeating the one that just failed.
3. Turn off any VPN that launches automatically at startup before attempting the reset. One user traced a blank reset window to exactly this, though it's a single anecdotal report rather than confirmed Microsoft guidance, so treat it as a quick thing to test, not a guaranteed fix (Microsoft Q&A).

A Microsoft Q&A responder described these failures as a "synchronization discrepancy" between the device's local security component and Microsoft's authentication service. That explanation comes from a forum reply, not Microsoft's own documentation, so it's worth knowing the term exists without treating it as a confirmed root cause (Microsoft Q&A).

Last resort: Safe Mode and Reset this PC

Everything above comes from Microsoft's own support documentation and the specific recovery steps users confirmed worked in Q&A threads. What follows is different: community troubleshooting advice posted on Microsoft's forum, not official guidance, meant for when every supported option above has already failed.

To reach Safe Mode from a locked sign-in screen:

1. Hold Shift and select Power > Restart.
2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup Settings > Restart (Microsoft Q&A; Microsoft Q&A).
3. Choose Safe Mode with Networking if it's listed, or Safe Mode if that's the only option offered (Microsoft Q&A).
4. If Safe Mode presents a password sign-in option and it works, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > PIN (Windows Hello) > Remove, then restart normally (Microsoft Q&A).

This is a community workaround, not confirmed Microsoft guidance, and it won't necessarily resolve every Microsoft account or Windows Hello configuration. If Safe Mode doesn't offer a password option, or the password still doesn't authenticate, that's a sign to stop rather than keep forcing it.

Two things to skip entirely: registry edits and enabling the built-in Administrator account through installation media. A Microsoft Q&A responder warned that registry edits for this problem "rarely work and can cause serious system issues," and the Administrator-account workaround isn't backed by any official PIN-reset guidance either (Microsoft Q&A).

If genuinely nothing above works, a PC reset via bootable installation media remains an option, with one important catch. Keep my files still wipes installed apps and settings, and Remove everything erases all data on the drive (Microsoft Q&A). Back up anything still reachable to an external drive or cloud storage first, if any access to the system remains. Treat this as a true last resort, not a routine part of a PIN reset.

What to do right now

Start with I forgot my PIN at the sign-in screen if the device uses a Microsoft account and the password is still remembered. It's Microsoft's own documented path and needs nothing beyond a verification code (Microsoft Support).

If that link never shows up, sign in with the password through Sign-in options and remove the PIN from Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options instead of assuming the device is broken (Microsoft Support).

Before reaching for Safe Mode or a full PC reset, double-check access to the email address and phone number tied to the Microsoft account. Losing access to those caused a lockout in at least one documented case reviewed here, and it's the easiest thing to verify before it becomes a problem (Microsoft Q&A).

Save installation media and Reset this PC for when every sign-in and recovery option has actually failed, and back up whatever's still reachable before starting.