How do I remove an account from windows credential sign in?

Michael N 20 Reputation points
2026-07-01T14:41:42.1366667+00:00

cacheremoval

I logged into my 2nd account (Red Arrow), added a windows hello pin to it, then deleted it, cause I just wanted to login into it once.

So, I am trying to get rid of an account from appearing from the windows hello screen. I use Vivaldi browser. I have tried clearing the cache/saved info from outlook website only on Vivaldi browser. It didn't work and it still appears there. I checked Credential Manager, it did not work from removing the account. I tried looking for that account on my PC (Windows 10), nothing was saved there. I am not sure what other steps I can do to remove this one account from Windows Hello pin list cause I just want my main account to show there instead of the one pointing with the red arrow.

Any steps I should take?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Windows Hello, lock screen and sign-in
Answer accepted by question author
nobuko c 125.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-07-04T17:47:09.7733333+00:00

Thank you for your reply.

Since you are not using a security key, the remaining entry you are seeing is indeed Windows Hello’s UI cache.

The actual authentication data has already been removed, and there is no security risk.

There is no need to perform any further registry edits, as doing so may damage the Windows Hello configuration.

In many cases, this UI cache disappears naturally after Windows Updates or when the sign‑in components refresh.

For final confirmation—so we can determine whether the cache is coming from the OS or from the account itself—you can use the following steps:

Create a new local administrator account

Switch your current account to a local account

Sign in to the new administrator account → sign in with your Microsoft account → set up a Windows Hello PIN

If the same entry appears under the new account, the cache is from the OS.

If it does not appear, then the cache is specific to the original account.

Either way, the underlying identity has already been removed.

Add this at the end (Local account creation steps)

To create a new local administrator account:

Open Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.

Select Add someone else to this PC.

Choose I don’t have this person’s sign‑in information.

Select Add a user without a Microsoft account.

After the account is created, go back to Family & other users, select the new account, and change its account type to Administrator.

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  1. nobuko c 125.1K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-07-01T16:00:52.4133333+00:00

    Hello,

    When a previously used Microsoft account continues to appear in the Windows Hello sign‑in dialog, this information is not coming from your browser cache, not from Credential Manager, and not from your Microsoft account online.

    It is stored locally inside Windows, in the Web Account Manager (WAM) and FIDO registry.

    This is why:

    Clearing browser cache

    Removing saved info in Outlook.com

    Removing entries from Credential Manager

    Deleting the local account

    Removing the PIN

    does not remove the account from the Windows Hello sign‑in screen.

    Where Windows actually stores this “extra account”

    Windows keeps a record of previously used sign‑in identities under the following registry path:

    
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\Cryptography\FIDO\{SID}\LinkedDevices\{GUID}

    Each {GUID} under LinkedDevices represents a device or identity that Windows can use for authentication.

    If you modify part of the Name value inside one of these GUID keys,

    the name shown in the Windows Hello sign‑in dialog will change accordingly after signing out and back in.

    This confirms that Windows Hello reads this registry location directly —

    please try changing part of the Name value yourself to verify this behavior.

    A sign‑out/sign‑in is usually enough, but you may restart Windows if you want to ensure the change is fully applied.

    How to remove the unwanted account

    To remove the old account from the Windows Hello sign‑in dialog:

    Open Registry Editor

    Navigate to:

    
HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-20\Software\Microsoft\Cryptography\FIDO\{SID}\LinkedDevices\

    Identify the GUID key that corresponds to the unwanted account

    Delete that GUID key

    Sign out and sign back in

    The account will no longer appear in the Windows Hello sign‑in dialog.

    Important

    Editing the registry can affect system behavior.

    Please create a registry backup and a system restore point before making changes.

    How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
    Create a restore point

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