PC 'The Password Is Incorrect' After an Update: Keyboard and Account-Type Traps
“The password is incorrect.”
In many cases the password never changedIn plain English: In many cases the password never changed at all. Something else changed around it, and Windows is now reading or checking a different password than you expect.
First safe step: Start with the password box itself. Click or tap the eye icon at the right end of the box, then type your password again, slowly.
You type the password you have used for months, Windows updates overnight, and the sign-in screen says, 'The password is incorrect.' That does not mean you forgot it. In many cases the password never changed at all. Something else changed around it, and Windows is now reading or checking a different password than you expect.
Check two things first, in this order. One, an update can switch your keyboard layout, so the same keys type different characters, especially in symbols like @ or ". Two, Windows might want your Microsoft account password, not your local account password. Those are two separate passwords, and one will not work in place of the other.
Do not change or reset any password yet. Start with the short answer below, then work through the checks on the sign-in screen in order. Once you know which password Windows wants, and that you are typing it exactly as intended, you will know whether a reset is needed at all.
Part of the Locked Out of Your Microsoft Account, Outlook or Windows? Recovery in Plain English series, the pillar guide for this cluster.
First, see what you are actually typing
Start with the password box itself. Click or tap the eye icon at the right end of the box, then type your password again, slowly. The eye icon shows each character as you type it, instead of dots, so you can spot a wrong letter before you press Enter.
Next, check Caps Lock. If a Caps Lock light is on, or a message on screen says Caps Lock is on, press Caps Lock once to turn it off, then try again. Passwords treat capital and small letters as different, so one shifted letter is enough to fail.
On a small laptop, check Num Lock too. On some models, part of the letter keys doubles as a number pad when Num Lock is on, so letters in the middle of the keyboard type numbers. Turn Num Lock off and retype the password.
If it still looks wrong, use the on-screen keyboard. Select the Accessibility icon at the bottom right of the sign-in screen, then select On-Screen Keyboard. Type the password by clicking the keys. If it works there, your physical keyboard has a sticky or faulty key.
Check whether the update switched your keyboard layout
Check whether the update switched your keyboard layout
An update can leave another keyboard layout selected, so the same keys type different characters and one wrong symbol in your password or email address is enough for Windows to reject it. A common swap is @ and a quote mark. On a US layout, Shift and 2 types @, while on a UK layout those keys type a quote mark and @ moves to another key.
Look at the bottom right of the sign-in screen for a label such as ENG US or ENG UK. Select the label, then select the layout you used before the update. If you are not sure which one that was, try the other layout listed before you try anything else.
Before you retype the whole password, test the change with one symbol that appears in your password, not with the full password yet. Type that symbol, use the eye icon to check the character on screen matches the key you pressed, then delete it and type the full password. If the symbol is still wrong, switch the layout again and test it once more.
Once you are signed in, set the layout for good so the same problem does not return after the next restart. Open Settings, go to Time & language, and set the layout you normally use as your preferred layout. Next time you sign in, pause and check the label at the bottom right before you start typing, even if everything looks familiar.
Work out whether Windows wants a Microsoft account password or a local one
With your typing checked, look closely at the name on the sign-in screen before you try again. If an email address is shown under it, Windows is asking for a Microsoft account password. That is the password for that email account. It is the same one you use to sign in to Outlook.com, and the same one you would use for that Microsoft account on a phone or another computer.
If only a user name is shown, with no email address under it, Windows is probably asking for a local account password. That password lives on this PC only. It does not sign you in to Outlook.com, and changing your Microsoft account password somewhere else does not change it. It may be an older one, from when this PC was first set up, that you no longer use online.
Next, think about where you last changed the password you have been trying. If you changed it on a phone, on another computer, or on the Microsoft account website, try that newer password for a Microsoft account. If you changed it only on this PC, or if a family member or shop set the PC up for you, the local password may be the older one from that earlier time.
A PIN is different. Windows may ask for a PIN instead of a password, but a PIN is a separate sign-in method set for this PC only. It is not a short form of your Microsoft account password, and it is not a short form of a local password. If the box asks for a PIN, entering either password in that box will not sign you in.
Reset only the password Windows is asking for
If Windows is asking for your Microsoft account password, reset it on a phone or another computer, not on this locked PC. Go to the Microsoft password reset page and set a new password. Then sign in with that new password on the other device first, to check that it works there. If it fails there, it will also fail here.
Back on this PC, select the network icon at the bottom right of the sign-in screen and connect to your Wi-Fi or plug in a cable. Wait a few minutes for the PC to pick up the new password, then type it once, slowly. Repeated tries before it connects will keep giving the same incorrect message. Check the connection icon shows you are online before you try.
If Windows is asking for a local account password, the reset happens on this PC. Enter a wrong password once to bring up the Reset password link, select it, and answer the security questions that were set up on this PC. You can then set a new local password and sign in with it right away. This changes only the password on this PC.
Another route is to sign in with a different administrator account on this PC, if one exists, and reset your local password from Settings. If you do not know the security question answers and there is no other administrator account, Windows has no built-in way back in. Do not use bypass tools or downloads. See our guides to account recovery and your next options instead.
Use the sign in options if a PIN or fingerprint prompt appears instead
Sometimes the box on screen is not asking for a password at all. After an update, Windows may open on a PIN prompt, or it may ask for your face or fingerprint. A password with letters and symbols typed into a PIN box will fail, even if it is the right password.
Select Sign-in options below the box. Small icons will appear for the choices set up on this PC, such as PIN, password, face, and fingerprint. Select the key icon to switch to the password box.
Now type the account password you identified earlier, either your Microsoft account password or your local account password. That is the password Windows wants in this box, and it is different from a PIN.
If face or fingerprint is not offered after the update, use that password for now. It gets you in without changing your PIN, face, or fingerprint setup.
If it still says incorrect, stop and check the account on another device
Use a phone or another computer to try your Microsoft account password at account.microsoft.com. If it works there, the password is right and the problem is on this PC. If it fails there too, the problem is with the account.
Stop repeated tries. They can bring a temporary block or a 'Too many requests' message and a longer wait. Leave the PC for a while, then make one clean attempt, typing slowly and checking the characters with the eye icon.
Ignore any support phone number on a warning or pop-up. The Windows sign-in screen does not offer help that way. Check what you saw with our Real or Fake Warning Checker before doing anything else.
Once you are back in, write down your account type, the email address for it, and your keyboard layout. Keep the note safe offline, and update your recovery phone and email if they are out of date.
Frequently asked questions
Did the update change my password?
An update does not need to change your password for this error to appear. A switched keyboard layout or a different account prompt can make the same password fail.
Should I keep trying the password if it keeps failing?
No. Stop after a few failed tries and, if you can, check the account on another device. Repeated tries can lead to a temporary block.
If I change my password, which one should I change?
Only the one Windows is asking for on the sign-in screen. Changing your Microsoft account password will not change a local account password on this PC, and the other way around.
Conclusion
If Windows is still saying your password is incorrect, that does not mean you forgot it. After an update, the computer is often asking for it in a different way, with different keyboard settings or under a different account than you expected. You were right to pause before resetting it.
Do the checks in order and leave the password alone until you know which one Windows wants. That order matters, because resetting the wrong password adds a new problem without fixing the first one.