Windows 11 lock screen bug

We have also encountered this exact same issue. 
FYI: We have added an alternative UPN added to our domain using AD domains and trusts. We use server 2019 and have windows 11 25h2 clients with latest patch

I started seeing this behavior on Windows 11 25H2 with 2022 domain controllers a few months ago. I advised the affected end users to click on "other users" instead of their username, so it requires them to type it back in, and that works.   It's acting as if clicking the username doesn't change the username from the previous user that logged in.  It is difficult to reproduce.  Taking an action like rebooting, clicking other user, disconnecting from the network are all (sort of) solutions.   I have half a mind to treat the affected devices like my conference room PCs and prevent them from retaining the usernames on the logon screen so they have to type it in, but this is strange.   

Yes—this sounds more like a Windows 11 sign-in/credential-provider or domain authentication issue than genuinely incorrect passwords. Similar reports in 2026 describe users getting “incorrect username/password” specifically after locking or waking, with restarting temporarily fixing it.

For a business/domain environment, I’d check:

Windows build/KB: Compare affected PCs and recently installed cumulative updates. One 2026 report linked the behavior to KB5077181.

Domain authentication: Check DC/security logs at the exact failure time. Also test nltest /sc_verify:<domain> and confirm DNS/time synchronization.

Try “Sign-in options” → Password/PIN instead of the currently selected credential method.

Entra/Windows Hello: If these are Entra-joined or hybrid-joined devices, investigate Windows Hello/credential-provider and cached-token issues.

Install the latest Windows 11 cumulative update on affected machines; Microsoft recommends keeping Windows updated for sign-in problems.

Most useful diagnostic: record the Windows 11 version/build and KB number from one affected PC, plus whether the machines are AD domain joined, Entra joined, or hybrid joined. That should narrow this down considerably.

For people still looking for solution there's a workaround:

Click "Switch user" in bottom left corner,

Log in again using both login and password.

For some reason this works for me and I haven't lost any data due to not being able to log in yet.

We are also having this issue at the organization I work at. For what it's worth, I've been able to guide users to the "Switch user" button in the bottom-left corner, and if they're able to "Switch user" into "Other User" and log in with their ID & password, 99% of the time it gets them in, even when it just said their password was wrong. Restarting/shutting down fixes it almost the rest of the time.

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.