What to Do When Windows 11 Pin Login Stops Working After an Update

Why your 🪟 Windows 11 PIN stops working after an update

Windows stores your PIN credentials in a protected folder called Ngc. A bad update can leave files in that folder damaged or out of step with the rest of the system. When you type your PIN, Windows can’t verify it against those files, so it rejects the PIN or shows the “PIN isn’t available” error.

The folder is the usual cause, but not the only one. A changed keyboard layout, a switched-off Num Lock key, or a failed check against Microsoft’s servers can produce the same error. The fixes below go from the quickest and safest to the more involved.

How to sign into your computer using your Microsoft password

1. Look just below the box where you type your PIN on the sign-in screen.
2. Click Sign-in options. You will see a row of small icons, one for each sign-in method available on your device.

1. Click the key icon. This is the password option, and a password box should now replace the PIN box.
2. Type your Microsoft account password, or your local account password if you don’t use a Microsoft account.
3. Press Enter. Your desktop should load.

If the password is rejected, check that Caps Lock is off and that the keyboard layout is correct (see the keyboard section further down). If you changed your Microsoft account password recently on another device, use the new one.

Once you are on the desktop, you can fix the broken PIN properly instead of working around it at every sign-in.

How to reset your PIN from inside 🪟 Windows 11

Removing the broken PIN and creating a new one replaces the damaged sign-in data. Windows asks you to confirm your account password first, so keep it handy.

1. Click the Start button on the taskbar🖥️.
2. Click Settings (the gear icon). The Settings⚙️ window opens.

1. Click Accounts in the left pane.
2. Scroll down the right side and click Sign-in options.
3. Click PIN (Windows Hello) to expand it.
4. Click Change PIN or Remove. If Windows asks for your current PIN, which no longer works, click I forgot my PIN instead.
5. Follow the prompts and type your account password when asked to confirm your identity.
6. Create a new PIN when prompted, enter it twice, and click OK.
7. Lock the PC with Win+L and sign in with the new PIN to confirm it works.

If Remove is greyed out, look further down the same Sign-in options page for the setting “For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device”. Turn it off, close and reopen Settings, and the button should become available. If you manage the PC through a work or school account, your organization’s policy may control this, and you will need to ask your IT department.

How to delete the broken NGC folder to fix sign-in errors

If the password trick doesn’t work, or the new PIN fails again, clear the damaged Ngc folder. Windows won’t let you delete it while it’s running normally, so you do it from Safe Mode. Safe Mode loads Windows with only the drivers and services it needs, so the folder isn’t in use. Windows creates a new, clean copy the next time you set up a PIN.

First, get into Safe Mode from the sign-in screen:

1. On the sign-in screen, don’t type anything.
2. Hold down the Shift key and click the Power icon in the bottom right corner.
3. Keep holding Shift and click Restart.
4. Keep holding Shift until the blue recovery screen appears with a short list of options. You can let go once you see it.
5. Click Troubleshoot.
6. Click Advanced options.
7. Click Startup Settings. If you don’t see it, click See more recovery options at the bottom of the screen first.
8. Click Restart. If Windows asks for your BitLocker recovery key, enter it. You can find it in your Microsoft account under your devices.
9. When the numbered list appears after the restart, press 4 or F4 to choose Enable Safe Mode.
10. Sign in with your account password. The PIN will not work in Safe Mode.

Safe Mode looks plain, with a low resolution, black corners and no wallpaper. That is normal. Now delete the PIN data:

1. Click the search🔍 box on the taskbar🖥️, type file explorer📁, and press Enter.
2. Click View > Show > Hidden items so that hidden folders appear.
3. Click This PC in the left pane, then open Local Disk (C:).
4. Open these folders in order: Windows, ServiceProfiles, LocalService, AppData, Local, Microsoft. If Windows says you don’t currently have permission to access a folder, click Continue.
5. Find the folder named Ngc. You need administrator rights to change it, so sign in with an administrator account.
6. Right-click Ngc and click Properties. Open the Security tab and click Advanced.
7. Next to Owner, click Change. Type your user name, click Check Names, then OK.
8. Tick Replace owner on subcontainers and objects, then click Apply and OK. Close the Properties window.
9. If Windows still refuses the delete, open Properties › Security › Advanced again and give your account Full control on the folder.
10. Right-click Ngc and click Delete. Click Continue if Windows asks for permission. If it won’t delete the folder itself, open it and delete everything inside.
11. Restart the🔄 PC normally.
12. Sign in with your password, then go to Settings › Accounts › Sign-in options and set up a new PIN.

How to uninstall a recent update that caused the PIN bug

If the PIN stopped working right after an update, removing that update is a reasonable fix. Once you are back on the desktop, you can do it from Settings. If you can’t sign in at all, you can do it from the blue recovery screen. Removing an update does not touch your files, but Windows may try to install it again later.

1. If you can get to the desktop, click Start and open Settings.

1. Click Windows Update🔃 in the left pane.
2. Click Update history.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Uninstall updates. The Installed Updates list opens.
4. Find the most recent update, the one installed just before your PIN broke. The list shows install dates, so you can sort by the Installed On column.
5. Select that update and click Uninstall.
6. Confirm when asked and let the PC restart.
7. After you sign in, test the PIN. If it works, you can pause updates for a week or two from the Windows Update🔃 page while Microsoft ships a fix.

If you can’t sign in and can’t reach Settings, remove the update from the recovery screen instead:

1. On the sign-in screen, hold Shift, click Power, then click Restart, exactly as for Safe Mode.
2. On the blue screen, go to Troubleshoot › Advanced options.
3. Click Uninstall Updates.
4. Choose Uninstall latest quality update (a regular monthly patch) or Uninstall latest feature update (a major version upgrade), depending on what was installed last.
5. Follow the prompts and sign in with your account password if asked. Windows restarts when it finishes.

The feature update option only works for a limited time after the upgrade. If it is missing, the rollback window has probably passed.

Unique troubleshooting: Check your keyboard layout and Num Lock

Check this before anything else if your PIN fails but you haven’t seen the “PIN isn’t available” error. Updates sometimes reset the keyboard language, and a switched-off Num Lock key makes the number pad type nothing. You may be entering a different PIN than you think.

1. Look at the bottom right corner of the sign-in screen for a language abbreviation such as ENG or US. Click it and pick the layout you normally use.
2. If you type your PIN on the number pad, check the Num Lock light on your keyboard. If it is off, press Num Lock once to turn it on. On laptops without a light, try the number row above the letters instead.
3. Type your PIN again, slowly.

If the PIN works, nothing else needs fixing. Make sure the layout stays correct, because it can switch again after the next update.

Unique troubleshooting: Disconnecting from the internet to bypass Microsoft account sync glitches

Going offline can help because Windows sometimes hangs on the Microsoft account check right after an update. With no network, it falls back on the credentials stored on the PC, and the PIN may be accepted. It is quick and harmless, so it is worth a try before the longer fixes.

1. If you use a wired connection, unplug the Ethernet cable.
2. If you use Wi-Fi📶, click the network icon in the bottom right corner of the sign-in screen and turn Wi-Fi off. You can also unplug your router for ten seconds and plug it back in, but turning Wi-Fi off is simpler.
3. Wait a few seconds so Windows registers that the network is gone.
4. Type your PIN again. In many cases Windows then checks the local data and accepts it.
5. Once you are signed in, reconnect to the internet. If the PIN works offline but fails online, that points to a sync problem, and resetting the PIN as described earlier is the lasting fix.

If the PIN still fails offline, move on to signing in with your password or clearing the Ngc folder.

Summary

To recap, a broken PIN after a Windows 11 update is almost always fixable without losing data. Start with the simple checks: keyboard layout, Num Lock and going offline. Then sign in with your password and reset the PIN in Settings. If that fails, clear the Ngc folder in Safe Mode or uninstall the update that caused the problem.