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If you repeatedly enter the wrong password on your Windows computer, you might see an error message that says, The referenced account is currently locked out and may not be logged on to. This error prevents you from accessing your account. However, you can fix this problem by restarting your computer and trying again with the correct password after waiting 10-30 minutes.
In this article, we have discussed several methods to help you get past the referenced account is currently locked issue.
Methods to resolve the referenced account is currently locked issue
To resolve the referenced account is currently locked issue, we have explained a few methods below.
Reset Microsoft password using I forgot my password option
If you use a Microsoft account to sign in to Windows and have forgotten the password, then reset your password and sign in by using the new password.
Step 1: Click on the I forgot my password button on the sign-in screen.
Step 2: In the verification method screen, select the method you want to verify your identity and click the Next button. The options available are email and phone numbers.
Step 3: Enter the code sent to your email or phone number and click the Next button.
Step 4: If the verification is successful, you will get a prompt to create a new password. Enter the new password and click on Next.
Step 5: Log in again using the new password you have created.
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Set the administrator account
Enable the hidden administrator account through the Windows Recovery Environment.
Step 1: On the Sign in screen, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard, click the Power icon, and then the Restart option.
Step 2: In the Windows recovery environment, click on Troubleshoot option.
Step 3: Click on Advance options and then click on Command Prompt.
Step 4: In the command prompt, type net user administrator /active:yes and hit Enter.
Step 4: Close the Command prompt and click Continue to boot Windows.
Step 5: After rebooting, click on the Administrator available in the bottom left corner of the screen and then click on Sign in.
Reset password using Password reset disk
If you have created a Password reset disk, you can use it to reset your password. Follow the steps below to use the password reset disk to reset your password.
Step 1: Reboot your PC and plug in the password reset disk in your PC. On the sign-in screen, click on the Reset password button.
Step 2: Now, click on Use a password reset disk instead button.
Step 3: From the dropdown list, select the password reset drive and click on the Next button.
Step 4: Follow the on-screen prompt and create the new password on the next page.
Disable Account Lockout Threshold
Windows has a feature called the account lockout threshold which locks your account after a certain number of failed login attempts. After getting into your PC, disable the account lockout threshold. To do that, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Press Window + R key and type secpol.msc and hit Enter.
Step 2: In the Local Security Policy window, double-click Account Policies and then double-click Account Lockout Policy.
Step 3: Double-click on the Account lockout threshold.
Step 4: In the account lockout threshold properties, replace the value with zero, click the Apply button, then click the OK button.
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Disable password expiration
Windows restricts the account if the password of the account expires. To avoid getting restricted, you must disable password expiration. To do so, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Press Window + R key and type secpol.msc and hit Enter.
Step 2: In the Local Security Policy window, double-click on Account Policies and double-click on Password Policy. On the right side of the screen, double-click on Maximum password age.
Step 3: In the maximum password age properties, replace the value with zero, click the Apply button, and then the OK button.
Remove Cached Credentials
Corrupted cached credentials can also lead to account lockout. Removing the cached credentials for the locked account will resolve the issue.
Step 1: In the Windows search, type Credential Manager and open it.
Step 2: Click on Windows Credentials option.
Step 3: Click on the arrow to expand the credentials you want to remove, and then click on the Remove option available at the bottom of the credential.
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