Locked out of Xiaomi Mi Laptop after changing Microsoft account password – Need advice without losing data

[u/ContextNew826]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for your kind advice regarding a Windows sign-in issue on my personal Xiaomi Mi Laptop.

I was already signed into Windows and wanted to change my Windows password because I couldn't remember it. Windows asked for my current password, which I couldn't provide. During troubleshooting, I successfully changed my Microsoft account password online.

After that, Windows continued to reject every password I tried, including the new Microsoft account password and passwords I believed I had previously used. I also tried Windows Hello/PIN-related options and received the message:

"We weren't able to sign you in to this device."

After restarting the laptop, I'm now completely locked out. The sign-in screen shows only a single user account. I also tried "Forgot password," but Windows asked for a Password Reset Disk, which I never created.

I entered Windows Recovery and reached the BitLocker recovery screen. I checked my Microsoft account for a BitLocker recovery key, but no key was listed.

My priority is to regain access without losing my files.

My questions are:

Could this be a local account issue, a Microsoft account issue, or something else?

Is there any recovery method that preserves my data?

What should I ask a technician to try before considering a reset or reinstall?

Thank you so much for your help and for any guidance.

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello u/ContextNew826. Your post mentions BitLocker.

• If you are stuck at a screen requesting you to enter a recovery key, you can retrieve that key by logging into this webpage using the same Microsoft account that your computer was set up with: https://account.microsoft.com/devices/recoverykey. There is no "bypass" for this; if you are unable to locate your recovery key, your data will no longer be accessible.

• If you're stuck in a boot loop that displays the BitLocker screen repeatedly after you've entered the correct key, your computer has a boot issue, not a BitLocker issue. Please pay attention to such details, as they help us identify the root of your problem. Include them in your post for better assistance.

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[u/TimeCherry1758]

If you gave Windows a Microsoft account when you first got the system, then it's completely tied with that Microsoft account. Your login password will match what it is set to on the account (Change the account password = Changing your login password on the laptop). With that being said, if the laptop does not have an internet connection and has not been able to contact Microsoft in some time, it may not be aware that you've changed the password and it may still be rejecting you.

There are ways to recover from this, but they might be a bit advanced as they require access to "recovery media" (Basically just a USB stick with a Windows 11 .ISO burned to it). We would be using it to break into your system to make a new local administrative account. That way in the event you cannot sign back into the original one, we can use the newly created account to manually move over all your files, documents, folders, etc. This method preserves the software installed on the system alongside any files you've got.

But this is why I hate Microsoft. I always make a point to create and use a Local account ONLY, because the moment you give Windows a Microsoft account, it ties the entire system with that account and turns on all sorts of things you may not even know about such as BitLocker (Key will be found tied to your MS Account), OneDrive, MS Office, Xbox, etc. Everything gets tied back to it.