Forum Discussion
Windows 11 lock screen bug
We are having an issue where some users cannot log back into windows 11 after going to a lock screen. Windows will tell you the password or username is incorrect even though the credentials are defiantly correct. The only solution I've found so far is to reboot the machine. What could be causing this? Our users are loosing unsaved work from having to reboot through out the day.
3 Replies
We are starting to see this exact issue as well. It is inconsistent and doesn't happen every time the screen locks. I have found the easiest workaround is to completely disconnect from the network (e.g. unplug the ethernet cable) and then the password will let us back in, without having to reboot.
I am Windows 11 24H2, domain joined. I had a Windows PIN + Hello enabled and found removing those help - for a while. We did recently introduce a single Windows Server 2025 domain controller into our environment so I can't help but wonder if that has something to do with it, but I haven't had time to test yet.
We have seen several variations on the error message:
- Your password was changed on a different device. You must sign in to this device once with your new password, and then you can sign in with you PIN.
- The username or password is incorrect.
- The password is incorrect. Try again.
Adjust Sign-In Settings After Sleep Prevent Windows from requiring sign-in immediately after waking.
- Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options
- Under If you've been away, when should Windows require you to sign in again?, set to Never This can reduce lock screen authentication failures.
I’ve seen this behaviour on Windows 11 before and it’s usually not the credentials themselves, but how Windows is handling them after the machine locks. Since a reboot fixes it, that points more towards a session or authentication problem rather than the password being wrong.
might be
- Cached credentials glitch
- Fast Startup / Modern Standby
- Network login
- Group Policy A recent policy or Windows update could be messing with authentication (e.g. cached logon count, Kerberos ticket expiry).
- Third-party security software e.g. Endpoint agents or identity tools
try
- Check the Event Viewer (Windows Logs → Security, and Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → User Device Registration) to see what’s happening at the time of failure.
- Disable Fast Startup to rule it out. You can do this by running:Then go into Power Options and untick“Turn on fast startup.”
powercfg -h off - Make sure the machine is fully patched, and if it’s domain-joined, test connectivity to the DC/Azure endpoint when locked.
