Surface won't let me log in "Your PIN is no longer available due to a change in security settings."

Anonymous
2018-06-11T15:32:25+00:00

Greetings,

I have a Surface Pro running Windows 10.  When I opened it this morning Hello did not recognize me and said "Your PIN is required to sign in."  When I tried to put my PIN in it says "Your PIN is no longer available due to a change in security settings..."  I have not created a USB boot drive.  How do I get logged in?

**Moved to Windows Hello as this is not a problem with the Surface**

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows Hello, lock screen and sign-in

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2018-07-01T16:34:05+00:00

I had this same issue on a family member's computer. I chatted with Microsoft and the only way we could get it fixed was a system reset. I'd say try a restore if you have a restore point first. This was a fairly new computer (Surface Laptop purchased a month ago). After the reset, facial recognition started working again as did the option for a PIN.

Reset this PC.

  1. From the sign-in screen, press and hold the shift key on the keyboard, select the power icon in the lower-right corner of the screen, and then select Restart. Keep holding the shift key until the device restarts and the Choose an option screen appears on a blue background.
  2. Once Windows Recovery loads, release the shift button, and then select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Reset this PC> Keep my files.
  3. You should now be able to sign-in again.

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-08-17T09:30:06+00:00

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-08-17T07:31:22+00:00

    Hi, my computer did an upgrade last night and after logging in this morning it's not using the face recognition or asking for the password. It's saying to use the pin to log in. However it's saying pin is no longer available and must be changed in settings. How can I do that without being able to sign in?

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-08-16T03:13:33+00:00

    Hi Jaret,

    We suggest that you force shutdown your Surface. This is to ensure all updates are applied if there was a recent update made on your device.

    1. Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
    2. Press and release the power button to turn your Surface back on. You should see the Microsoft logo.

    If that doesn't work, use this shutdown process to make sure your Surface completely turns off. Press and hold down the power button until your Surface restarts and you see the Windows logo screen (this takes about 20 seconds), then release the power button.

    If you're still unable to sign in to your Windows, you can try to start your device in safe mode.

    1. Restart your computer while holding the SHIFT button.
    2. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings.
    3. Click the Restart button.
    4. Choose Enable Safe Mode with Networking.
    5. Try to sign in.
    6. Restart your Surface.

    If starting your device in to safe mode did not help, then you may need to reset your Surface.

    If you have additional questions, or if the issue persists after the troubleshooting steps above, please let me know by replying to this thread. This way, I'll get notified and respond back to you as soon as I can.

    Regards.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-08-15T23:59:44+00:00

    When I turn in my compter, facial recognition doesnt work and a prompt appears that said “a pin is required” so then when I click the pin option, I get “your pin is no lomger available due ti a change in security settings on this device” (even though I made no change to my security settings) so then when I click “sign in options” to use my password, the password option is no longer there and the facial recognition option says pin is required and im wrapped back into and endless loop!

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