- Windows 11 has a bug in the login options on the lock screen
- It has caused the password icon to disappear somehow
- The icon is still there, and Microsoft’s advice is basically to fumble around for it
Windows 11 has had its fair share of weird bugs, especially since version 24H2 landed, and a very peculiar bug popped up recently – and what’s just as weird is Microsoft’s fix here.
Windows Latest noticed the issue, which concerns the Windows Hello sign-in settings on the lock screen for Windows 11 devices.
This screen allows you to log in via biometric means (face recognition or fingerprint) or by using a PIN, but if you can’t remember that PIN, there is a backup facility to use your Microsoft account password instead.
However, on some Windows 11 PCs that have installed the August preview update or the full September update – or later – this password setting is gone (according to this thread on Reddit).
Microsoft explains in the known issues for the August preview update: “You may notice that the password icon is not visible in the login options on the lock screen. If you hover over the area where the icon should appear, you’ll see that the password button is still available. Select this placeholder to open the password text field and enter your password. Once you’ve entered your password, you can sign in normally.”
Analysis: stealth icons
In other words, the password icon has somehow become invisible, but it’s still there and working – sort of, since the icon itself isn’t there, but you’ll see an empty box where it normally resides, which when clicked, acts to trigger the password field.
So if you need to access the backup password login option, Microsoft’s advice is to hover over where the icon should be and you’ll see the outline of the button to click it. It’s kind of like ‘Where’s Waldo?’ except you’re looking for a much less colorful character.
Maybe this could be a new mini-game in Windows 11: icons flash in and out of the desktop in a random way and you have to be quick enough to hit them before they disappear.
It’s a very strange bug – which some people are blaming on AI code, a growing trend ever since Microsoft admitted they use AI for some coding tasks – and it feels equally strange for Microsoft to give “mouse around and hope for the best” kind of advice. Granted, it’s a niche issue – not many people will use that password icon, and there hasn’t been much in the way of complaints about the bug, which is probably why it’s flown under the radar.
Still, if you are one of the affected people and you were wondering what was going on, now you know. It’s also good to see that Microsoft is currently “working to fix this issue” according to their support document – possibly by getting a bunch of programmers to randomly wave their cursors across Windows 11’s codebase in the hope of eventually finding the right bit to tinker with for a fix? No?
The best computers for all budgets
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
