Microsoft has fixed a known issue that was causing the password sign-in option to disappear from the lock screen options after installing Windows 11 updates released since August 2025.
The password icon appears on the lock screen only if multiple sign-in options (e.g., PIN, password, security key, fingerprint) are available. However, if you use only a password, the icon may not appear because Windows 11 shows the password field by default.
As Microsoft said when it acknowledged this bug in November, users with multiple sign-in options enabled may still not see the password icon if they installed the August 2025 KB5064081 non-security preview update or subsequent updates on Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2 systems.
Despite this, affected users can still sign in with their password, as hovering over the space where the icon should appear reveals the hidden button.
“If you hover over the space where the icon should appear, you’ll see that the password button is still available,” Microsoft explained at the time. “Select this placeholder to open the password text box and enter your password. After entering your password, you can sign in normally.”
Microsoft has now resolved this known issue in the January 2025 KB5074105 optional cumulative update for Windows 11 systems released on Thursday, January 29.
You can install KB5074105 by opening Settings, clicking on Windows Update, selecting ‘Check for Updates,’ and then clicking the ‘Download and install’ link. You can also manually install this update after downloading it from the Microsoft Update Catalog.
KB5074105 includes 32 changes, including fixes for boot, sign-in, and activation issues. For instance, it fixed a bug that triggered iSCSI boot failures with an “Inaccessible Boot Device” error, and another that caused the system to hang during startup when Windows Boot Manager debugging is enabled.
The same preview update addresses a known issue that caused Explorer.exe to hang during the first login when certain apps were configured as startup apps and fixes an issue in which Windows license migrations could fail during upgrades because the PC couldn’t register with the Windows Activation server for its digital license.
In late September 2025, Microsoft fixed another known issue caused by the KB5064081 update that triggered playback interruptions, freezing, or black screens when playing DRM-protected video in Blu-ray/DVD/Digital TV apps.
In the same month, it resolved other issues caused by the August 2025 Windows updates, including severe lag and stuttering affecting NDI streaming software on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices, and app installation problems for non-admin Windows users due to unexpected User Account Control (UAC) prompts.
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