Recover Windows password or PIN from the lock screen

Recovering your login password on Windows 11 and Windows 11 is easier than you think; If you forget your login PIN or password and are using a Microsoft account you can start recovery directly from the lock screen, using your backup email addresses or phone number if it was provided in your security options.

In the following guide we will show you how to recover Windows password or PIN directly from the lock screen, thus immediately gaining access to our computer on which we have carelessly forgotten the password or the PC. To avoid these problems we will also show you how to speed up access to any Windows PC using biometric access (fingerprint or face recognition).

READ ALSO -> How to remove login PIN and/or password on Windows 11 and 10

1) Recover Windows password and PIN

To recover access to Windows on a PC, press on one of the items that we can find directly on the PC’s lock screen, which also varies based on the operating system and the type of access authorized on the computer in use:

• I forgot my PIN
• I forgot the password
• Forgot password

The Password recovery wizard will ask you to confirm your Microsoft account email address and fill in the anti-robot code. On the next screen we can indicate the recovery email address (also using the alternative email activated in the Microsoft account), so as to receive the reset code for the PC in use at that precise moment.

By pressing the button below we can also choose to receive the code via SMS on the telephone number provided or to use an Authenticator application, as seen in the article on two-step verification for Windows and Microsoft. Once you receive the code, you can create a new password and access your PC.

If you have not yet configured an efficient recovery system for Microsoft accounts, it is best to do so immediately, taking us to the security optionswhere you can add a reserve email address, a phone number and activate all the necessary security options.

For further information we can read the guide above how to log in to Microsoft account without password.

2) Alternative methods to access the PC

If we press on the item Login options immediately below the password or login field we can change the access method to use for the PC: if we have forgotten the PIN we can always use the system password or the Microsoft account password to log in (or any active alternative to the method we have forgotten at that moment).

Before proceeding to recover your Microsoft password let’s make sure we don’t have any other access system usable (by pressing on Login options), checking which icons are present; the text field icon is related to Microsoft accounts, while the PIN and local password icons are very characteristic and difficult to forget (the first is shaped like a keypad, while access via local password is shaped like a key).

3) Use biometric login on Windows

To avoid having to always remember a password or PIN for your Windows PC we can rely on Windows Hellothus configuring theaccess via fingerprint or facial recognition; in this case we will only have to remember the password of the Microsoft account associated with Windows as the backup systemto be used only if we have problems with the hardware designed to read biometric data.

To proceed, let’s check the presence of a fingerprint reader or a webcam with Windows Hello support on our notebook or on the desktop PC in use. In the absence of integrated biometric readers we recommend adding one of the following devices to your PC:

• ARCANITE, USB Fingerprint Reader for Windows 11/10
• Kensington VeriMark Desktop Fingerprint Key
• USB Fingerprint Reader for Windows Hello
• NexiGo HelloCam, Webcam 1080p con Windows Hello
• Logitech Brio Ultra HD Pro Webcam

To learn more we can read our guides on how to put facial recognition on PC come on how to unlock PC with Fingerprint.

Conclusions

Password recovery is an advantage and an additional reason forusing your Microsoft account in Windows 11 or Windows 10. This procedure does not work if you are using a account locale or if the PC you want to access uses a Microsoft account that we cannot reset because we lack recovery options (for example if it is not ours).

In these cases we can read our guide on how access any Windows PC using an installation disc.

For further information we can also read the guides on How to enter PIN instead of Windows password come on how to protect opening Chrome, Firefox, Edge with password.