Windows 11’s newest bug just made signing in so much harder

Windows 11 users are getting a frustrating new bug that completely hides the password sign-in option on the lock screen, making it incredibly difficult to log into their PCs. This isn’t a total lockout, but it’s certainly a massive headache if you use a real password.

If you have Windows Hello set up, you usually see the PIN prompt right away. If you need to switch to your actual account password, you click “show sign-in options,” and the system brings up a selection of icons, including the crucial password key icon. Selecting that icon is what brings up the text field so you can type in your password and get back to your desktop.

Now, thanks to a known issue that Microsoft has acknowledged, that password icon is completely invisible. This issue specifically affects people who have configured Windows Hello methods like a PIN or fingerprint reader but occasionally need to use the password instead.

Maybe you forgot your PIN, or maybe the fingerprint reader is acting up. That’s when you need the password option, and that’s exactly when the system decides to hide it from you.

The problem isn’t isolated to just one recent patch, either. Microsoft has said this issue affects PCs running a wide range of cumulative updates, starting way back in August 2025 with the non-security preview update KB5064081 and continuing through the November 2025 releases. If you’ve been keeping your Windows 11 machine patched, you’re likely vulnerable to this strange visual bug.

Microsoft has issued a workaround for this missing icon, and I would say the biggest problem here is how utterly ridiculous the solution is. The company confirms that the password button is still available, but it’s just invisible. So, you have to hover your cursor over the empty space where the icon should be. Basically, you are going to make a guess and move around until you find it.

If you hit the right spot, you’ll see the button is actually clickable. You select that phantom placeholder, which then finally opens the password text box, and you can sign in normally.

Essentially, Microsoft wants you to play a game of “guess where the icon is” on your lock screen. If you’re struggling to find the exact location, you might end up randomly clicking around until the password field magically triggers. This is an awful user experience, especially if you’re trying to log in quickly or if you’re already frustrated because your primary sign-in method failed. A proper fix needs to happen fast.

I can’t be alone in noticing how often Windows has issues. It seems like every time a new major update rolls out, we discover a handful of fundamental issues that should have been caught during testing.

For example, when the October 2025 Patch dropped, it caused severe issues within the Windows Recovery Environment. Users suddenly found that they couldn’t use their mouse or keyboard in WinRE. Microsoft had to scramble and release an emergency patch just to fix that.

When you look at this string of incidents, it feels like basic functionality keeps getting compromised. The inability to easily access a password field is a core operating system function, not some niche feature. You’d think an issue that prevents a user from logging in via a standard method would be a top priority for patching, yet for now, we’re stuck hovering and clicking on empty space.

Source: Microsoft via Windows Latest