16 Fixes For Can’t Login To Windows 10

Windows 10 is one of the most widely used Operating System worldwide. Still, it has a considerable amount of issues. One such problem is as follows: A lot of users have reported not being able to log in to Windows 10. This turns out to be a very serious issue as the user won’t be able to access their device at all.

The “can’t log in to Windows 10” can arise in several forms which are given below:

  1. Can’t sign in to your account
  2. Won’t log in to your computer
  3. Can’t log in with a Microsoft account
  4. Can’t get to the login screen
  5. Can’t log in after an update
  6. Can’t log in with your password

If you too are suffering from this Windows 10 issue, don’t worry, we’re happy to help! This article aims to give you the most effective ways to solve the “Can’t log in to Windows 10” error.

can't login to windows 10

16 Solutions If You Can’t Log In To Your Windows Account

We recommend scrolling through the following methods and applying them one by one until you regain access to your Windows 10 system. Before attempting any of the fixes given below, you should try restarting your system. Sometimes, restarting can help solve some temporary issues. With that said, here are 16 effective solutions to solve the “Can’t login to Windows 10” problem:

  1. Use The Startup Repair Tool
  2.  Check Your Keyboard
  3. Make Sure Your Internet Connection Is Good
  4. Start PC In the Safe Mode
  5. Use The Local Account
  6. Install Windows Updates
  7. Perform System Restore
  8. Scan Your System For Viruses
  9. Run The System File Checker And DISM Scan
  10. Restart The Credential Manager
  11. Update The Drivers
  12. Create A New Account
  13. Disable Fast Startup
  14. Reset Your PIN
  15. Use The Registry Editor
  16. Reset Windows

1. Use The Startup Repair Tool

  1. If you are stuck in the login screen, press the Shift button and select the Restart option. This takes you to the Choose an option screen.
  2. On this screen, click on Troubleshoot.
click on troubleshoot option
  1. From the Troubleshoot screen, click on the Advanced option
click on advanced options from troubleshoot screen
  1. In the Advanced options window, click on the Automatic Repair or Startup Repair option
use the startup repair tool
  1. Now, wait until the Windows Automatic / Startup Repair gets completed
startup repair tool is diagnosing your pc
  1. Then, restart the system and check if the “can’t login to Windows 10” error has gone or not.

2. Check Your Keyboard

Most of the users have a password-protected system and they need to enter the password through their physical keyboard to log in. So, if your keyboard is not working properly, then, you might not be able to enter the correct password to be able to login into your Windows system. 

To check if your keyboard is working fine or not, bring in a different keyboard that works fine and try entering your password through it. If this workaround doesn’t help solve the problem, you can try using the on-screen keyboard:

  1. When you are on the login screen, look for the Ease of Access icon. It will be located towards the bottom right.
  2. Click on it and then select the On-Screen keyboard option.
filter keys
  1. A virtual keyboard will come up on your screen. Enter your password through it and check if you can login to Windows 10 now. 

A large number of users who have been facing this problem have resolved it via this method. If the problem still exists, move on to the next methods.

3. Make Sure Your Internet Connection Is Good

If your Microsoft account’s password has been changed recently, possibly, your computer hasn’t been registered with it yet. So, make sure that your computer is connected to the internet. This way, your computer will register the new password and allow you to log in to the computer with a newly set password.

4. Start PC In the Safe Mode

If the above methods didn’t work, try rebooting your system in safe mode. Running your system in Safe Mode might help you find several problems in the computer. Follow the steps given below to do so:

  1.  Press the Shift button and while doing so, click on Restart.
start the pc in safe mode
  1. The Advanced Startup menu opens up and you need to go to the Troubleshoot section then.
choose the troubleshoot option
  1. Navigate to the Advanced Options and then to Startup Settings
select startup settings from advanced options window
  1. Click the Restart button
click on restart button
  1. The startup options will come up. Here, select the Enable Safe Mode with Networking option and the PC will reboot.
click on enable safe mode with networking
  1. Once your computer has booted in the Safe Mode, find the problems and their solutions.

5. Use The Local Account

The new Windows OS version allows you to log in via your Microsoft account or your local account. Follow the steps given below to do so:

  1. Press the Windows + I key to open the Settings and then, go to Accounts.
  2. From the left panel, click on Your Info.
  3. Click on Sign in with the Local account instead. Enter your password and hit the Next button.
click on sign in with local account instead
  1. Type in the Local account username and click Next
use the local account to sign in
  1. Click on the Sign out and Finish button
click on sign out and finish button
  1. Now, log in to Windows with the local account and check if you can fix the problem.

6. Install Windows Updates

The Windows updates will bring all the update files and patches for the bug fixes for the device to make sure that you get the best user experience. So, make sure that you have installed the latest update files of Windows. These updates, when not installed, can lead to various problems in the system. 

  1. Press the Windows key and click on the Settings gear icon to open Windows settings.
  2. Next, click on Update & Security
  3. Then, click on Check for Updates.
  4. If any pending Updates are shown, start downloading them and then, install them.

7. Perform System Restore

  1. Go to the Windows search bar and type in “control panel”. Then, click on the “Control Panel” option that comes up in the search results.
  2. Click on View by on the top right side and change it to Small icons
  3. Click on the Recovery option
  4. Next, click on Open System Restore and undo any recent system changes. Follow the steps as and when needed
  5. Click on Next from the Restore system files and settings window.
  6. Choose the Restore Point and ensure that the restore point you are choosing had been created well before you started getting the error “Can’t log in to Windows 10”
perform system restore to fix windows login issues
  1. If no restore points are showing up, then mark the checkbox next to “Show more restore points” and then click on the restore point of your choice.
  2. Click on Next and review the settings that you will be configuring.
  3. Click on Finish and the restoration procedure will get started.

8. Scan Your System For Viruses

Perhaps some virus or malware has attacked your system and corrupted your system. This, in turn, can lead to several problems like your Windows login issue. So, it will be wise to run a malware or virus scan on your entire system and get rid of any viruses on the system.

In case you don’t have any third-party antivirus software installed, you can use the Windows Defender tool. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open the Windows Defender software
  2. Select on the Virus and Threat section
  3. Click on Advanced Section and click on the Windows Defender Offline scan option.
  4. Click on the Scan Now button and Windows Defender will get rid of any malware or viruses if found.
  5. Then, reboot your system and check if you can “Fix Can’t log in to Windows 10 issue.”

9. Run The System File Checker And DISM Scan

  1. Press the Windows + X keys and click on Command Prompt (Admin)
  2. In the command prompt window type in the following command and hit the Enter key:

sfc /scannow

run the system file checker

If the above command doesn’t solve the problem, try out the command given below:

sfc /scannow /offbootdir=c:\ /offwindir=c:\windows 

  1. Wait for the scan to complete and then, restart your system.
  2. After your system restarts, type in the following commands and hit the Enter key after each command:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

perform the DISM scan
  1. Once the DISM command has finished running, check if the error has been resolved or not.
  2. If the error persists, try out the command given below:

Dism /Image:C:\offline /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:c:\test\mount\windows

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth /Source:c:\test\mount\windows /LimitAccess

  1. Reboot your system to allow the changes to take place.

10. Restart The Credential Manager

If you can’t log in because of the error: “Couldn’t log in, an unhandled exception occurred during login,” then the problem is related to the Credential Manager of Windows 10. Follow the steps given below to solve this problem:

  1. Go to the Start menu and type in Services in the search bar. Then, open the Services desktop application
  2. Up next, look for the Credential Manager service and right-click on it. Next, click on Restart.

11. Update The Drivers

Outdated drivers can also be the cause why you cannot login to Windows 10. So, you need to update your device drivers. Ensure that your computer is booted in Safe Mode before you carry out the procedure.

12. Create A New Account

If the new accounts have been malfunctioning, that too can lead to the “Can’t login to Windows 10” error. In this case, you can try booting into Safe mode and then attempting to create a new account. Follow the steps given below to do so:

  1. Press the Windows + I keys to open the Settings window. Next, click on Accounts.
  2. Click on Other users from the left panel and then, click on Add someone else to this PC.
  3. Create a new account by following the instructions that come up on the screen. Once done, check if you can login to Windows or not.

13. Disable Fast Startup

The Fast Startup feature is also capable of causing login issues. You could try disabling the fast startup feature to resolve this problem. Follow the steps given below to do so:

  1. Boot your computer in Safe mode.
  2. Open the Start menu and then, go to the Control panel
  3. Click on Power Options
  4. Select “Choose what the power buttons can do” from the left panel. Click on “Change plan settings.”
click on choose what the power button does
  1. Click on “Change settings that are currently unavailable.”
click on change settings that are currently unavailable
  1. Next, uncheck the box next to “Turn on Fast Startup (Recommended)”
uncheck the box to disable fast startup
  1. Click on Save Changes
  2. Exit Safe mode and log in through your account to check if the issue has been solved or not.

14. Reset Your PIN

If you are unable to log in to Windows 10 because you have forgotten your PIN, then, you need to learn how to reset your PIN to resolve the problem. Ensure that your PC is connected to the internet while executing this method.

  1. Click on “I forgot my PIN” when you are on the login screen. If you have multiple accounts, choose the account whose PIN you want to reset.
  2. Enter your Microsoft Account password and then, click on Next. Verify your account via a security code that you will receive on your phone or email.
  3. If you select text, type in the last 4 digits of your number and click on Send Code.
  4. Enter the received code in the space and then, click on Next.
  5. Type in your new PIN and confirm it. 
  6. Now, you can revisit the login screen and attempt to log in via the new PIN.

15. Use The Registry Editor

  1. Launch the Command Prompt with elevated privileges 
  2. Type in the following command and press the Enter key.

net user administrator/active:yes

  1. Once done, restart your system and sign out from the current user account. Then, log in as the administrator.
  2. Navigate to the Start menu and type in “regedit” in the search bar and open the Registry Editor
  3. Go to the following address in the Registry Editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList

  1. Double-click on the ProfileList
  2. Select every key and find out which key has ProfileImagePath as their “C:\Users\%AccountName%”
  3. Once you find the required file, select and delete it. Ensure that you don’t delete any other file.
  4. Next, look for the “S-1-5-21-xxx…” subkey that contains the following value at “ProfileImagePath” :

“C:\Users\%AccountName.ComputerName%”

  1. Once the file has been found, double-click on the ImageProfilePath and remove the dot and the computer name from the data box.
  2. Click on OK to save and apply the changes and close the Registry Editor window. 
  3. Go to Windows Explorer and click on View tab > Options
  4. Click on Show hidden files, folders, and drivers.
  5. Then, uncheck the “Hide protected Operating System files.”
  6. Copy paste the following 4 files from the given location:

“C:\Users\%AccountName.ComputerName%” to “C:\Users\%AccountName%” folder.

  • NTUSER.DAT
  • NTUSER.DAT.LOG1
  • NTUSER.DAT.LOG2
  • NTUSER.INI
  1. Once done, restart your system and sign out from the Administrator account.
  2. Try logging in with your original account and your account profile should get restored.

16. Reset Windows

Resetting your system could be a bit extreme for some. So, try this out only if all the methods have failed to solve the issue.

  1. Press the Windows + I keys to open Settings and then, click on the Update & Security icon
  2. From the left panel, click on the Recovery option.
  3. Under the Reset this PC option, click on the “Get Started” button
  4. Click on the Keep my files option
  5. Choose your Windows version. A screen with the question “Do you want to remove all files from all drives?” will come up. Click on the option that says “Only the drive where Windows is installed.”
  6. Click on Reset and follow the on-screen instructions to finish the reset.

Final Words

We hope the above solutions will help you solve your Windows login issues. Also, it is recommended that you keep a backup of your data before starting with the procedures. Some of these methods involve manipulation of the Windows Registry files, Settings, etc. that might lead to data loss. So, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

FAQs

Why can’t I log into my computer Windows 10?

There could be many reasons as to why you cannot log in to your Windows 10 computer. It could be due to a faulty keyboard, poor internet connection, missing Windows updates, corrupt files, and so on.

How do I bypass the login screen on Windows 10?

Go to the Run utility and type in “netplwiz” > OK. Then, uncheck the checkbox next to “User must enter a user name and password to use the computer” > Apply. Another way to skip the login screen is by making a few tweaks in the Local Group Policy Editor.

How do I fix Windows 10 not accepting my password?

You can fix the Windows 10 not accepting my password issue by using the virtual keyboard to enter your password or by using the Microsoft Live password to log in and update keyboard drivers.

What do I do when Windows 10 is locked?

You can unlock your Windows 10 by pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys together and entering the NetID password. Press the Enter key and your Windows 10 should be unlocked.