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
    2018-09-17T18:31:50+00:00

    I have a surface. My computer updated. Now whrn i turn on it says “your pin is no longer availablr dur yo a chsnge to thr security settings on this device. You cdn set up your pin again by going to settings > accounts > sign-in options” but i can not find hoe to access this. I can not restore to a previous version.

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  2. Anonymous
    2018-09-17T04:41:32+00:00

    Hi caracowan,

    Thanks for understanding.

    You might need to perform a force restart on your Surface Laptop to see if this will let you A) log in with passcode/facial recognition/password, or B) allow you to type into the command prompt (to unlock the local administrator account to gain access to your device).

    • Press and hold the power button until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds), then release the power button.
    • 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.

    Instructions taken from: https://support.microsoft.com/help/4036280/surf...

    Please let me know how this goes,

    Nathan

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-09-17T02:50:14+00:00

    Its okay, and no it does not. it wont let me type in anything at all.

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-09-17T02:38:50+00:00

    Hi caracowan,

    My apologies for the confusion, I thought you had an external keyboard plugged in.

    Does the on-screen keyboard show up when you tap into the Command Prompt?

    Looking forward to your response,

    Nathan

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