How to reset PIN, when stuck in Windows Hello Loop?

Question

How to reset PIN, when stuck in Windows Hello Loop?

Tsotne Kvetenadze 20

To be brief, I have an ASUS Vivobook S15, which I created a PIN and also enabled facial recognition to log in. I only ever used facial recognition, and eventually forgot the PIN. Now, I am softlocked as Windows Hello is requiring me to use my PIN to log in, and the only other button, which is "sign in options" doesn't contain any other method of signing in, or even resetting the PIN.

Thus, I eventually decided that I would reset my windows, because I could not find any other solution. When attempting to do so through Advanced Options, it would simply say "There was an error resetting windows". I have the laptop linked to my Microsoft Account, but there were no methods of changing the PIN or finding solutions through my Microsoft profile either.

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Answer 1

Sin-D 12,265 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Tsotne Kvetenadze,

I understand how frustrating this situation can be, especially when Windows Hello suddenly requires a PIN that you no longer remember and does not provide another sign-in method.

To help narrow this down further, could you confirm:

Do you see any sign-in method besides the PIN prompt under "Sign-in options"?
Is this device signed in with a Microsoft account or a local account?
When you select "Sign-in options", what options are displayed exactly?

In the meantime, could you check the following:

On the sign-in screen, select "Sign-in options" and see whether a password icon appears. If it does, try signing in with your Microsoft account password instead of the PIN.
If the password option is available and you can sign in, go to: "Settings" > "Accounts" > "Sign-in options" > "PIN (Windows Hello)" > "I forgot my PIN" and follow the prompts to create a new PIN.
If you do not remember your Microsoft account password either, you can reset it using Microsoft's account recovery process: https://account.live.com/password/reset. After resetting the password, return to the sign-in screen and try signing in with the password instead of the PIN.

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Tsotne Kvetenadze 20 Reputation points

2026-08-03T16:44:55.8466667+00:00
Hello,

To answer your inquiries:

When clicking "Sign-in options", it reveals two other icons. The icon that is used to sign in via facial recognition, and the other button used for PIN. When clicking on the facial recognition icon, it directly asks that my PIN is required to sign in. Everytime I enter an incorrect PIN, it makes me restart the computer to retry, alongside typing a challenge phrase.

Signed in with Microsoft Account

As said previously, only the two other icons are displayed.

Following checks:

There is no password icon or any other button that appears.

Password option is not available, even though I have direct access to my microsoft account and am very weary of its credentials.

I am aware of the password, but do not have the choice to sign in with it.

The only solution I can think of is using a usb-b flashdrive to manually restart windows.
Sin-D 12,265 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-04T01:44:47.4666667+00:00
Hi Tsotne Kvetenadze,

Thank you for the detailed information.

Based on what you've described, this appears to be a situation where the Windows Hello credential has become the only available sign-in method on the device. Before proceeding with a USB reinstallation, I would recommend one final check:

At the sign-in screen, hold Shift and select Power > Restart.

Go to "Troubleshoot" > "Advanced options" > "Command Prompt".

In Command Prompt, run: net user

Check whether you see only your Microsoft-account profile or whether there is another local administrator account available.

If another administrator account exists, signing in through that account may allow you to remove and recreate the Windows Hello PIN without reinstalling Windows.

If no alternative account exists and the sign-in screen truly offers no password sign-in or PIN reset option, then an in-place recovery from Windows installation media (USB) may be the most practical next step. Since resetting Windows from Advanced Startup is already failing with an error, creating Windows installation media using Microsoft's official tool is generally the preferred recovery method.
Tsotne Kvetenadze 20 Reputation points

2026-08-04T22:09:05.5933333+00:00

Here was my path to the solution:
--> Went into command prompt as you suggested, tried the net user, but came back with unclear results. Then I started messing with systemreset -factoryreset but didn't entirely work. I then used sfc /scannow which ultimately I believe allowed me to go back to advanced options to reset my windows. Cloud install was still not working so I locally installed windows. That was all. Thank you for your time!
Sin-D 12,265 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-05T04:49:50.24+00:00

Hi Tsotne Kvetenadze,

Thank you for coming back and sharing the solution.

I'm glad you were able to regain access to the system. It is also helpful to know that running SFC /SCANNOW appears to have allowed the reset process to proceed, after which a local Windows reinstallation completed successfully.

Thank you for taking the time to post your findings. This may help other community members who encounter a similar Windows Hello sign-in issue.

Wishing you all the best!