“The Referenced Account Is Currently Locked Out”: How to Unlock It

Applies to: Windows 11 and Windows 10 sign-in, Remote Desktop and network sign-ins.

What the message means

The full message reads “The referenced account is currently locked out and may not be logged on to.” It comes from Windows’ account lockout policy: after a set number of wrong passwords, Windows refuses all sign-ins for that account for a while, even with the right password.

This protects you against someone guessing your password. It isn’t a sign that your PC is broken or that your files are gone. The lock is on the account, and it lifts on a timer or when an administrator unlocks it.

Which kind of account is locked?

You sign in with	Account type	Go to
An email address (outlook.com, hotmail.com, gmail.com and so on) on a home PC	Microsoft account	Fix 1, Fix 2
A plain name, like Sam, with no email	Local account	Fix 1, Fix 3
A company email or DOMAIN\username on a work or school PC	Work or school (domain or Microsoft Entra ID)	Fix 4

If you see this message when connecting with Remote Desktop, the account on the remote PC or the company network is locked. The fixes are the same: wait for the timer or ask whoever manages that PC to unlock it.

Fix 1: Wait for the lockout to end

Most lockouts end on their own. On current versions of Windows 11, the default policy locks an account for 10 minutes after 10 wrong passwords. Company PCs often use different numbers set by IT.

1. Leave the PC at the sign-in screen and don’t try again until the time has passed. Trying again while it is locked won’t work, even with the right password.
2. Check that Caps Lock is off and that the keyboard layout is right (the language code in the bottom-right corner of the sign-in screen, such as ENG).
3. Select the eye icon in the password box to see what you’re typing before pressing Enter.
4. If you use a PIN, try Sign-in options and use your password instead, or the other way round.

If you’re not sure you remember the password, don’t keep guessing. Use Fix 2 or Fix 3 instead, so you don’t lock yourself out again.

Fix 2: Reset a Microsoft account password

1. On the sign-in screen, select I forgot my password. (If it isn’t shown, select the password box first.)
2. Follow the steps to get a security code by email or text and set a new password.
3. Or, from another device, go to Microsoft’s password reset page at account.live.com/password/reset.
4. Once the new password is set, connect the locked PC to the internet and sign in with it.

If Microsoft has locked the online account itself (you’ll see a message saying your account has been locked rather than the Windows message), sign in at account.microsoft.com on another device and follow the steps to verify it’s you.

Fix 3: Unlock a local account from another admin account

If the PC has a second administrator account, you can unlock the locked one straight away on Windows 11 or 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education:

1. Sign in with the other administrator account.
2. Press Win + R, type lusrmgr.msc and press Enter.
3. Open Users, double-click the locked account and clear the Account is locked out box.
4. If the person has forgotten the password, right-click the account and choose Set Password. Be aware that this can make some encrypted data for that account, such as saved passwords in the browser or EFS-encrypted files, unreadable.

Windows 11 and 10 Home don’t include lusrmgr.msc. On Home, wait for the lockout to end (Fix 1). If the password itself is forgotten and you set up security questions, use Reset password on the sign-in screen.

Fix 4: Work or school accounts

On a work or school PC, the lockout is controlled by your organisation’s servers, and only IT can unlock it early.

1. Contact your IT help desk and ask them to unlock the account. In Active Directory this is the Unlock account box on the account’s Account tab, or the Unlock-ADAccount PowerShell command.
2. If your organisation offers self-service password reset, use the Forgot password link on the sign-in screen or your company’s password portal.
3. If the account keeps locking within minutes of being unlocked, something is still trying your old password. Tell IT; they can look up event ID 4740 on a domain controller, which records the computer the bad attempts came from.

Fix 5: Stop it happening again

Repeat lockouts right after a password change are nearly always caused by a device or app still using the old password in the background. Update or remove it in these places:

• Phone and tablet email apps connected to your work or Microsoft account. Update the password, or remove and re-add the account.
• Credential Manager on your PC: open Control Panel > Credential Manager > Windows Credentials, and remove or edit entries for the server or account that changed.
• Mapped network drives that save a password. Disconnect them in File Explorer and map them again, or run net use * /delete in Command Prompt and reconnect.
• Remote Desktop connections with saved credentials. Edit the saved connection and enter the new password.
• Scheduled tasks or services that run under your account, which IT may need to update.

Checking or changing the lockout policy

To see the current settings on your own PC, open Command Prompt and run:

net accounts

Look at Lockout threshold (how many wrong passwords are allowed), Lockout duration (minutes) and Lockout observation window (minutes).

On Pro editions you can change these in secpol.msc under Account Policies > Account Lockout Policy. We recommend leaving the lockout on. Setting the threshold to 0 turns it off completely and lets anyone with access to your PC try passwords endlessly. On a work PC, these settings are managed by IT and any change you make will be overwritten.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a Windows account stay locked out?

It depends on the policy. Current Windows 11 defaults lock the account for 10 minutes. Work and school PCs use whatever IT has set, which can range from a few minutes to “until an administrator unlocks it”. Run net accounts to see the value on your PC.

Does restarting the PC unlock the account?

No. The lockout timer keeps running through a restart, so you still have to wait for it or have an administrator unlock the account.

Does this mean someone is trying to hack my account?

Usually not. Most lockouts come from mistyped passwords, Caps Lock, or an old password saved on another device. If you didn’t make any wrong attempts and it keeps happening, change your password and check your account’s recent activity.

Will I lose my files?

No. A lockout only blocks sign-in. Your files and apps are untouched. Resetting a local password from another account (Fix 3) can affect some encrypted data, so use the timer or a Microsoft account reset first if you can.