Forum Discussion
Windows 11 Microsoft Account authentication fails system-wide – WAM/Sign-in issue
Hello,
I am experiencing a system-wide Microsoft account authentication/sign-in problem on Windows 11 25H2. Microsoft Support has already assisted me with extensive troubleshooting and recommended that I report the issue here because the problem appears to be related to the Microsoft account authentication/sign-in process rather than to a specific Windows user profile.
Main issue
I am currently using a local Windows account. When I go to Settings > Accounts > Your info > Sign in with a Microsoft account instead, the process eventually asks me to authenticate my existing local Windows account.
The password for my local account is definitely correct and works normally on the Windows sign-in screen. However, the same password is rejected during the Microsoft account linking/conversion process.
The problem is not limited to my Windows user profile.
To test this, I created a completely new local Windows test account. The exact same problem occurs there as well: the local password works for signing in to Windows, but is rejected when attempting to link/convert the local account to a Microsoft account.
This strongly suggests that the issue is system-wide rather than caused by corruption of my individual Windows user profile.
Additional Microsoft authentication issue
I also tried to submit this problem through the Windows Feedback Hub. During the submission process, Windows Security asks me to verify my identity for my Microsoft account using my Windows Hello PIN.
My correct Windows Hello PIN is rejected with the message that the PIN is incorrect. Therefore, I cannot submit the report through the Feedback Hub.
At the same time, I can successfully sign in to my Microsoft account through a web browser. In fact, I was able to sign in to the Microsoft Tech Community through the browser in order to submit this report.
Additional symptoms that have now appeared
The problem is no longer limited to linking my Microsoft account to Windows:
- Outlook is no longer reliably receiving new emails.
- Microsoft Word can no longer save documents.
- Feedback Hub cannot authenticate my Microsoft account because the correct Windows Hello PIN is rejected.
- Microsoft account authentication through the web browser continues to work normally.
These additional symptoms make me suspect that there may be a common problem with Microsoft account authentication, WAM (Web Account Manager), the account broker, or another Windows authentication component.
Troubleshooting already performed
Extensive troubleshooting has already been carried out:
- The problem was reproduced with a newly created local Windows test account.
- The local account password was verified and works correctly at the Windows sign-in screen.
- SFC was run and did not identify an unresolved system-file corruption problem.
- DISM was run and the component store was repaired/checked.
- A Windows 11 repair installation was already performed. The problem remained afterward.
- Relevant Microsoft account/authentication components and services were checked.
- Microsoft Account Sign-in Assistant, WAM-related components, Account Control/Credential Provider-related components and associated services were checked and appear to be present/running.
- Credential-related services, including Credential Manager/Vault-related components and TokenBroker, were checked.
- The issue persists across multiple local Windows accounts.
Microsoft Support has therefore concluded that this does not appear to be a simple user-profile corruption issue and may instead involve the Microsoft account linking/authentication pipeline.
Current situation
Windows 11 25H2 is otherwise running, and my Microsoft account itself is accessible through the browser. However, Microsoft account authentication within Windows appears to fail in several places.
I would therefore appreciate assistance in determining whether this is a WAM/account broker/Microsoft account authentication issue and how the affected Windows authentication components can be repaired or reset without reinstalling Windows from scratch.
Please let me know if diagnostic logs, event logs, correlation IDs, or any other information would be useful. I can provide additional diagnostic information if required.
Thank you.
3 Replies
I'm having exactly the same problem. It does not recognize the local password when converting to a Microsoft Account.
I've tried changing the user password, and even leaving the password blank. No matter what I try, it won't accept the local password during the account conversion process.
I can create an account on the machine as a Microsoft Account, but subsequently I can only log into that account with my PIN. If I try to login with my password, it won't accept it.
Other details that lead me to discovering there is a problem is that I can't access shared drives on other Windows 10 or 11 machines via SMB using Microsoft Accounts, and I can't access a share on this new machine via a Microsoft Account. Local accounts created for the test work fine.
Note that my version is Windows 11 26H2.
Hi Jamony,
Thank you for your detailed reply and suggestions.
I have now worked through your troubleshooting recommendations, but unfortunately the problem remains unresolved.
Here is what I have tested:
- Local Windows password: I verified that my local account password works correctly when signing in to Windows. However, Windows continues to reject the exact same password when I try to switch my existing local account to a Microsoft account. I also checked the keyboard layout.
- Second Windows user profile: I created a completely new local user account with a different password. The same problem occurs there, which suggests that the issue is system-wide.
- Windows Hello PIN: I reset my Windows Hello PIN through Windows Settings. Unfortunately, this did not resolve the Microsoft account linking problem.
- Microsoft account authentication: I can successfully sign in to my Microsoft account through a web browser, including the Microsoft Tech Community. The Microsoft account authentication itself works.
- CloudExperienceHost: I checked the Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost package in PowerShell. Its status was OK. I then re-registered the package successfully.
- AAD BrokerPlugin: I also checked Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin. Its status was OK, and I re-registered it using elevated PowerShell.
- Restart: I restarted Windows after re-registering these components and tested the account conversion again. The same error still occurs.
- Windows repair installation: I previously performed a Windows 11 25H2 repair installation while keeping my files and applications. This did not resolve the issue.
- System integrity: I ran SFC and DISM. SFC reported no integrity violations, and DISM completed the component-store repair successfully.
- Additional checks: I also checked the relevant Windows authentication services, credential providers, account policies and stored credentials without finding a clear cause.
Current result:
When I select "Sign in with a Microsoft account instead", Microsoft account authentication succeeds, but the final step asks for my current local Windows password.
Even though this password works when signing in to Windows, the conversion process rejects it with the message:
"The password you entered for your device is incorrect. Please try again."
The same behavior occurs in a second, newly created local Windows account.
I also checked Windows Event Viewer, but I have not identified a specific Microsoft-Windows-AAD Operational event that clearly explains the failed conversion.
At this point, I have exhausted the suggested troubleshooting steps, including re-registering both authentication components and resetting Windows Hello.
Could you please advise on the next step or whether this issue should be escalated to Microsoft technical support for further investigation?
Thank you again for your help.
Reproducing this in a second profile makes ordinary profile corruption unlikely, but the Word and Outlook symptoms are not necessarily the same fault. First test Word saving locally and Outlook on the web. When converting the account, enter the local password, not the PIN; if the local account has no password, leave the field blank and verify the keyboard layout. Reset Windows Hello from Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options using “I forgot my PIN.” Microsoft’s WAM guidance is to verify and, if missing, re-register Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost for personal accounts and Microsoft.AAD.BrokerPlugin for work accounts from elevated PowerShell. Do not manually delete token-cache folders. After restarting, collect Microsoft-Windows-AAD Operational events and the exact error time. If package registration reports an error or authentication still fails after the repair installation, give those events to Microsoft Support; there is no documented universal WAM reset safer than targeted package repair.
