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
    2018-07-10T03:04:31+00:00

    Hi DawnNeff,

    Have you recently upgraded to 1803? If you're trying to log in to Windows but you don't have the option to type in your password, then you may try the following solutions:

    Restart your Surface

    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. Here’s how:

    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.

    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. Restart your device and check if you'll be able to log in to your account.

    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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  2. Anonymous
    2018-07-10T03:02:43+00:00

    Hi Anna,

    Have you recently upgraded to 1803? If you're trying to log in to Windows but you don't have the option to type in your password, then you may try the following solutions:

    Restart your Surface

    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. Here’s how:

    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.

    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. Restart your device and check if you'll be able to log in to your account.

    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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  3. Anonymous
    2018-07-09T23:02:47+00:00

    My facial recognition didn't recognize me with my glasses on and it told me to sign in with my pin. When I did that it gave me a message that says my pin is no longer available due to a change to the security settings on this device. It then says how to set it up but I can't get into my settings/account to do that.  Help please. I've had this computer for less than 48 hrs...ugh

    It doesn't even give me an option to say I forgot it. I basically have a $1000 paperweight....not impressed so far.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-07-09T22:38:37+00:00

    I cannot sign in to my Surface Laptop. Hello does not recognize my face and I cannot use my PIN because it says there are some security changes that disabled it. Hello and PIN seem to be the only two log-in options for me. I cannot see how to enter my password (there is no option to do that). 

    How do I log-in to my laptop since Hello and PIN are not available to me?

    thank you.

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