Can’t enter a password on Windows 11? Here’s the culprit and a workaround

If you’re currently having trouble logging in to Windows 11 with your password, it’s not your fault. Microsoft has confirmed that the KB5064081 update from August 2025 may cause Windows 11 to hide the password option on the sign-in screen.

Not all Windows 11 users are affected by this annoying problem, as apparently several factors have to come together for update KB5064081 to cause this problem. But if you’re affected, you should know that Microsoft hasn’t yet provided a fix for this.

Microsoft writes as a known issue for the KB5064081 update:

After installing the August 2025 non-security preview update (KB5064081) or later updates, you might notice that the password icon is not visible in the sign-in options on the lock screen. If you hover over the space where the icon should appear, you’ll see that the password button is still available. Select this placeholder to open the password text box and enter your password. After entering your password, you can sign in normally.

You can get around the problem by moving your mouse pointer over the position on the sign-in screen where the password option would normally be located. Windows 11 will then display the password login option. However, if you don’t know this, you’ll be at a loss, wondering why Windows doesn’t accept passwords anymore.

Windows 11 only displays the password option if multiple login methods are permitted on a computer (i.e., you can log in with a password, but also with a PIN or fingerprint).

The KB5064081 patch is an optional preview update that Microsoft released at the end of August 2025. It’s therefore not auto-installed on all computers. This is just the latest problem that can be caused by KB5064081. For example, the update also causes Windows 11 users to suddenly see red and can prevent you from watching videos on your PC. Read More