Fixed: The Referenced Account Is Currently Locked Out in Windows 10

You must always make sure to enter the right account password for accessing your Windows system. Otherwise, you might come across an error message that says: “The referenced account is currently locked out”. 

This error message is reported mainly on Windows 10 systems. And, it usually means that you have to wait for a while before you can try to log in again. 

You can apply various methods to avoid this problem further on your PC. Here, we will look at the effective fixes for this issue. So, read to know what to do when the referenced account is locked out. 

6 Fixes for the Account Locked Out Issue

The issue you face has many possible fixes. But, you need to access the system to apply most of those solutions. So, you must wait for 30 minutes before your PC lets you log in to the account again. You might have to wait longer depending on the account lockout duration on your device. 

Proceed with the following solutions once you have successfully logged in to your account: 

Use a Different Account to Login

Are you unable to access the system with a specific account? Then, you should use a different account if you have one and if that is possible. Many users might have a problem doing this as the locked out account has some important data. In such cases, you can simply skip to the next solutions we have listed here. 

Switch to a different account on your PC and enter its password to access the system. This should offer you an effective solution to an account lockout for the time being. You can then deal with the locked out account later on. This method is very useful for those who cannot wait for the lockout to end. 

Modify the Local Security Policy

Customising the local security policy should help you avoid the referenced account is currently locked out further. Enter “secpol.msc” in the run box to Open the Local Security Policy. Go to the Security Settings tab to view the Account Policies. 

Look for the lockout settings and right-click the ‘Account lockout threshold’. Then, open its Properties, and you should find the number of failed attempts that causes account lockouts. Change it to 0 if it has a different value. Dissolution is quite effective and might do the trick in many cases. 

Change the Account Expiry Settings

You can set up a temporary password on your Windows PC, which expires later on. And, the time of expiry depends on the duration you have selected. Once a password expires, you have to use a new one to log in. You can fix the account lockout issue by setting the password to never expire. 

Enter “lusrmgr.msc” in the Run box and navigate to the Users section. Find the account you are using and right-click it to open its options. Then, open its Properties and go to the General tab. 

Do you find the ‘Password never expires’ box unchecked there? Then, check to remove the expiry date for your password. 

Remove all Cached Credentials

You can sometimes use cached credentials to log in to your Windows, if required. But, that might often result in the referenced account being locked out. In such situations, removing the cached credentials can offer an effective and long-lasting solution. You can proceed with that once you have successfully accessed the system. 

Open the Start menu on your screen and enter Credential Manager in the search box. Go to the Windows Credentials tab given on the Credential Manager window. You will find the cached credentials under the Generic Credentials section. Select any of them and opt for removing them from your device. 

This method can effectively fix the issue in many cases. Check whether it occurs again by entering the wrong password many times. What if the reference account lockout occurs again? There are more solutions you can try in that case.

Obtain DNS Address Automatically

Many users have been able to fix the issue by modifying DNS settings on their PCs. So, you might want to give that a try if the previous methods were ineffective. You need to open the Control Panel to access the DNS settings. Use the Start menu search bar to reach this window easily. 

Open the Network and Sharing Center there and click on ‘Change adapter settings’. Right-click the Wi-Fi or ethernet network you are using and open its Properties window. Select IPv4 under the Networking tab and select ‘Obtain DNS server automatically. Do the same with IPv56 if you use it, and click on OK once you are done. 

Restart your PC and check whether the account lockout message shows up again. If it does, changing the system date might help you fix the issue. 

Change the System Date

Are you unable to access the system due to entering the wrong password by mistake? Then, you need not necessarily wait for the account lockout to end in such cases. If you cannot log in with another account, you can simply change the system date. 

If you are wondering, this will fix the issue by ending the account lockout immediately. So, you can attempt another login right away after changing the date. 

But, you have to use the BIOS to change the date as you cannot access the system. The steps to enter BIOS might differ based on the system version. However, you can easily enter it during startup and change the date. 

What if You Have Forgotten the Account Password?

Are you using a Windows 10/11 system? Then, you can usually find the Reset password link on the sign-in screen. Click on it and answer the security questions you had set while setting up the account. You can then create a new password and use it to sign in.

Wilson
Wilson

Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Undefined constant "REQUEST_URI" in /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-content/mu-plugins/index.php:4 Stack trace: #0 [internal function]: callback() #1 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-content/mu-plugins/index.php(29): ob_end_flush() #2 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-includes/class-wp-hook.php(324): buffer_end() #3 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-includes/class-wp-hook.php(348): WP_Hook->apply_filters() #4 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-includes/plugin.php(517): WP_Hook->do_action() #5 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-includes/general-template.php(3068): do_action() #6 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-content/themes/blocksy/footer.php(28): wp_footer() #7 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-includes/template.php(790): require_once('...') #8 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-includes/template.php(725): load_template() #9 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-includes/general-template.php(92): locate_template() #10 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-content/themes/blocksy/single.php(20): get_footer() #11 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-includes/template-loader.php(106): include('...') #12 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-blog-header.php(19): require_once('...') #13 /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/index.php(17): require('...') #14 {main} thrown in /var/www/internettablettalk.com/public_html/wp-content/mu-plugins/index.php on line 4