I have a client's computer that is suddenly asking for a win 10 pin - never had it before. I am not sure if there has been an update unbeknownst to my client or not, but after some preliminary research on the internet, that looks like one of the reasons it might be happening. Any suggestions to get rid of the "pin" so I can log in with his regular password?
NOTE : this pin is on startup and I cannot access windows
You can reset user account password to blank, that should also reset PIN to blank.
In this guide, you’re going to learn how to reset a forgotten local user login password on any Windows computer using Kali Linux.
There never was a pin in the first place. The user would like to keep their password though.
If you know a better way to turn off PIN, go head because this is a only way if you can't access Setting app.
Hello netrate,
If you only have a "PIN" sign in option available at sign-in, then it sounds like Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts may be turned on if this is for a Microsoft account.
If this is the case, then you could try to enable the built-in Administrator account at boot like in option 5 below.
Enable or Disable Elevated Administrator account in Windows 10
Afterwards, you could sign in to this built-in "Administrator" to turn off Require Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts, and be able to sign in with a password for the Microsoft account afterwards.
If needed, you can use the method in the tutorial below to strip all PINs.
How to Fix Unable to Add and Use PIN Sign-in Option in Windows 10
The computer originally only had a PASSWORD and not a pin. The Pin just showed up recently for him and he doesn't know why.
Please define exactly when this shows up- a picture would be great. Thanks.NOTE : this pin is on startup and I cannot access windows
Is this a MS account or local?
See:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/...ion=Windows_10
Else you might consider attempting using a System Restore point offline - you'd need the password.
If a bios PIN, then the cust should know what they set it as.
Has the user just switched to a Microsoft Account? If so, Windows would have insisted on setting up a PIN. If it's a local account, then the user may have been playing around with the settings and inadvertently set up a PIN.
Either way, a Windows PIN is in addition to the password, you can still use the password to sign in. To use the password, click on Sign-in options and one or more icons should appear. For a Local account click the 'key' icon and you will then be asked for the password. If it's an MS account you'll need to sign in with the MS account password.
If the PIN screen doesn't look like either of these then it's not a Windows PIN. Most likely it will be a bios PIN.
Local account:Microsoft account:
My take on it: I've always had 3 possible passwords on a computer, one is for entering the BIOS, one for making changes in the BIOS and one for the Operating System. The BIOS passwords are for the computer/hardware and I seldom use those but have had to remove a few, the OS comes into play after that. After I log into the OS then I have other passwords for things like E-Mail and running some programs....The computer originally only had a PASSWORD and not a pin. The Pin just showed up recently for him and he doesn't know why.
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