After updating Windows 10 with the latest security updates, I was greeted with the message “”The password is incorrect. Make sure you’re using the password for your Microsoft account”. I was sure the password was correct. I even went ahead and changed the password again, all with no luck.

Fixing the Issue

I checked the obvious:

• Clicked the ‘eye’ icon next to the password to make sure I was not using an international keyboard that would mess things up
• Checked numerous times that my password was correct by logging into account.live.com

And the not-so-obvious:

• Disabled 2-factor authentication
• Reset my password

All were futile in solving the issue. When I was about to give up, I rebooted the machine with no network access at all. The next time I logged in, Windows alerted me that my device was offline and that I had to use the last password I recalled on the machine:

New Error Message

And voilá, that did the trick (that password was and old one and was not working when I tried).

Preventing the Issue

An immediate action I did to prevent this in the future was to set up a logon pin for my Microsoft account:

• Make sure you are connected to the Internet and signed in with your Microsoft account
• Open the “Settings” app
• Click “Accounts” icon.
• Click “Sign-in options” on the left side
• Click “Add” button under “PIN”

Click add from Pin options

• You will have to verify your account
• Follow the on-screen instructions

Setting up the Windows Account Pin