Referenced account is currently locked out and may not be logged on to

Question

Referenced account is currently locked out and may not be logged on to

Dan Joshy 0

I started facing this issue of being locked out of my account. When I searched up , it said maybe its due to entering the incorrect password multiple times, and my keyboard does get stuck sometimes. I watched some YT tutorials and fixed it somehow because I was in a hurry. Today I faced the same issue once again, in which I entered my correct password and it locked me out. So I need a permanent fix for this issue, and I hope the community can help me. It all started with me created an Outlook email, which was accidentally linked to my Windows , which was already linked to my Gmail account.
So I'm ready to delete that Outlook email, as I only use it on my phone or is there any way I can fix this so that I won't be facing being locked out anymore?

Please help me to fix this.

Thank You in Advance.

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3 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Kapil Arya 38,361 Volunteer Moderator

Wait for around 30 minutes, see if you can login then.

After login, check if you've account lockout policy enabled.

Try disabling it, at Local Security Policy (secpol.msc) > Account Policies > Account Lockout Policy > Allow Administrator account lockout.

Hope this helps!

Dan Joshy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-04T16:26:30.1533333+00:00

I don't have the option of Local Security Policy. I use Windows 11 (Home) on my personal laptop.
Please provide me with a permanent fix for this issue.
Kapil Arya 38,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-09-06T08:40:00.8933333+00:00

In that case, you can use following command in Windows PowerShell:

net accounts /lockoutthreshold:10

This would prevent Windows for locking out your account up to 10 invalid attempts. You can use a Value 0 if you don't want the lockout to happen.

You can refer this fix for detailed steps:

https://www.kapilarya.com/fix-the-referenced-account-is-currently-locked-out-in-windows-11

Let us know if this helps!

Note: Included link(s) in this reply refers to a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.
Dan Joshy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-07T08:21:47.6533333+00:00

Thank You Kapil

Answer 2

Vikki-T 9,685 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Dan Joshy,

I understand why you are considering deleting the Outlook address, especially if the lockout started after it was added to Windows. However, I would not delete the account yet, as the Outlook address may not be the actual cause of the Windows lockout.

The message you mentioned can refer either to the Windows user profile on the computer or to the Microsoft account itself. Could you please clarify the following?

Does the message appear on the Windows sign-in screen before you reach the desktop?
Does the account shown there display your Outlook address, Gmail address, or only a local username?
Are you signing in with a PIN or with the account password?
Can you sign in successfully to your Microsoft account online from another device?
Is this a personal computer, or is it managed by a workplace or school?

If you can access the Microsoft account online but Windows still shows the lockout message, please stop retrying temporarily and check the keyboard layout, Caps Lock, Num Lock, and any keys that may be sticking. At the Windows sign-in screen, select Sign-in options and try the password option instead of the PIN, or the PIN instead of the password, if both are available.

Once you regain access to Windows, open Settings > Accounts > Your info and Settings > Accounts > Email & accounts to check how the Outlook address is connected. If it is listed only as an account used by apps, it may be removable without deleting the Microsoft account itself. Before changing or removing anything, please back up important files and check whether OneDrive is syncing any folders.

If you also cannot sign in to the account online, use the Microsoft account Sign-in Helper or review Microsoft’s guidance for a locked Microsoft account. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Dan Joshy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-04T11:22:08.4366667+00:00

Hi Vikki,
Thanks for the heads up ! The message appear before reaching the desktop ie the lock screen. The account shows my local name and I use a password to sign in.I'm able to sign in to my Microsoft account online and it's my personal laptop. I did check the settings of emails and accounts but I coudln't find the outlook address being connected. I just want a relief from this mess and return to the normal state because this issue comes up randomly which isn't something I won't encourage.

Please help me to fix this.
Dan Joshy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-04T11:27:41.6033333+00:00

Also can you please let me know if there is any website that actually provides live information about the keyboard ie to understand if any of the keys are being pressed without my input ?
Vikki-T 9,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-04T13:38:44.34+00:00

Hi Dan Joshy,

Thank you for clarifying. Since Windows shows only a local username and you can sign in to your Microsoft account online, this appears to be a local Windows sign-in lockout rather than an issue caused by the Outlook address. Therefore, I would not recommend deleting the Outlook account, as doing so is unlikely to prevent the lockout.

For now, please try signing in with the On-Screen Keyboard. On the sign-in screen, select the Accessibility icon in the lower-right corner, enable On-Screen Keyboard, and use it to enter your password. If the account becomes locked again, avoid repeatedly entering the password, as additional unsuccessful attempts may prolong the lockout. Allow some time before trying again, then restart the computer and use the On-Screen Keyboard for the next attempt.

Regarding your question about checking whether any keyboard keys are being pressed without your input, the keyboard behavior is a separate issue from the account lockout being discussed in this thread. Please create a new question on the forum specifically for the keyboard problem so that the discussion remains focused and community members can provide appropriate troubleshooting. In the new post, please include your laptop model, whether the same behavior occurs with an external keyboard, and any troubleshooting steps you have already tried.

For this thread, please let me know whether you can sign in successfully using the On-Screen Keyboard and include the exact lockout message if it appears again.
Dan Joshy 0 Reputation points

2026-09-04T14:36:19.2933333+00:00

Thank you . So is it not linked to the creation of my outlook email ? Does it have any part in this ?
Vikki-T 9,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-05T08:49:46.3966667+00:00

Hi Dan Joshy,

The Outlook email may be connected to Windows if it was added as a Microsoft account or sign-in alias. However, simply creating the Outlook email would not normally cause the Windows account to become locked.

Based on what you described, the lockout is more likely related to repeated incorrect password attempts caused by the keyboard entering unintended characters. Therefore, I would not recommend deleting the Outlook email, as that may not resolve the issue and could affect access to Microsoft services linked to the account.

Please try signing in with the On-Screen Keyboard and let me know whether you can access Windows successfully. You can also check whether the Outlook address is associated with your Microsoft account by signing in to Manage how you sign in to Microsoft.
Vikki-T 9,685 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-08T11:03:39.0266667+00:00

Hi Dan Joshy,

Is there any update from you?

If yes, please feel free to let us know.

Answer 3

If the Microsoft account is being locked because of repeated sign-in failures, the supported fixes are:

Stop repeated sign-in attempts. The lock can happen after too many incorrect password attempts, and repeated retries can keep the problem going.
Use the Microsoft account sign-in helper to check the account state and follow the guided recovery steps: Sign-in Helper
If the account is locked, unlock it by signing in at Sign in to request a security code.
- Any phone number can be used to receive the security code.
- The phone number does not need to be associated with the account.
- The phone only needs to be able to receive text messages.
If the password is known but has stopped working, use the recovery flow to reset it: Recover your account Then:
- enter the email address, phone number, or Skype name used to sign in
- choose where to receive the security code
- enter the code
- set a new password
If the sign-in name shows as turned off, sign in with another alias that is not blocked for sign-in. If the correct alias is unknown, use Forgot your username? to identify which aliases can still be used.
If the account remains blocked after recovery attempts, use Microsoft Support from the support flow: Contact Microsoft Support

Deleting the Outlook email is not presented as the supported fix in the available guidance. The supported path is account recovery, unlock, and sign-in troubleshooting.

References: