Why Password Vault Is Blocked: "You've Entered an Incorrect PIN Too Many Times"

Symptom

Instead of your entries, Password Vault shows the Reset screen with the text You've entered an incorrect PIN too many times. and a single Reset button. There is nothing else on the screen: the list of entries, New Item, Refresh and Configure are not available.

The saved block is detected when the latest vault file is successfully loaded: on page load, Refresh, PIN verification or a save-conflict retry. An already open page does not receive an immediate notification.

Cause

The wrong PIN was entered five times in a row. Password Vault counts wrong PINs and blocks the vault when the fifth one is entered. The block protects the entries against someone trying PINs one after another.

What you need to know about the counter:

• The counter is shared through the vault file in OneDrive only after a successful save. If reading the latest file fails, PIN verification uses the data already loaded. If saving a wrong attempt fails, its increase remains local to the open session and may be lost on reload.
• A saved counter does not expire or reset when you reload. Before the vault is blocked, a correct PIN opens it and attempts to save a zero counter. If that save fails, the saved counter remains unchanged even though the vault opens.

Details of the mechanism: KB10455. Incorrect PIN Attempts in Password Vault: What Happens After Five Failed Tries.

What the Reset button does

Reset empties your vault file: it deletes all entries and the PIN. Before that, Password Vault asks you to confirm in the Confirmation dialog: Are you sure you want to reset your vault? This action will delete all your passwords stored in the vault. After you confirm, the Set up PIN screen appears and you start with an empty vault. The empty vault is the same one on every page and in Microsoft Teams. This takes effect only after a successful save.

If the latest file is no longer blocked, Reset does not erase it. The screen follows the current file state: PIN entry if a PIN exists, or PIN setup if a previous reset removed it.

How to reset the vault and start again

1. On the Reset screen, click Reset.
2. In the Confirmation dialog, click Reset to delete all entries, or Cancel to go back to the Reset screen without changing anything. The button is unavailable for a moment while the vault file is saved.
3. The Set up PIN screen appears with the text Type your PIN to generate the master secret key. After generating the PIN code, you can change it at any time. This takes effect only after a successful save.
4. Type a new 4-digit PIN in the four boxes. Choose a PIN that you will remember.
5. Click Save. The vault is created and unlocked, and the list shows There are no items in this list. This takes effect only after a successful save.
6. Add your entries again with New Item. For accounts whose passwords you no longer know, use the password reset of the service first and store the new password; the built-in generator helps you create a strong one, see KB10445. How to Generate a Strong Password with the Password Vault Generator.

If the vault file cannot be saved - usually because of a network interruption - the Reset screen stays open and shows the red message Sorry, something went wrong. Please refresh the page and try again. Check the connection and click Reset again. If the error persists, see KB10459. Why Password Vault Does Not Load: "Something Went Wrong" and Permission Errors.

How to avoid being blocked again

• Watch Attempts left. After a wrong PIN, stop and think before you type the next one. The PIN is checked as soon as the fourth digit is typed; you can leave the Enter PIN prompt at any time before that without using up an attempt.
• A saved counter does not expire or reset when you reload. Before the vault is blocked, a correct PIN opens it and attempts to save a zero counter. If that save fails, the saved counter remains unchanged even though the vault opens.
• The counter is shared through the vault file in OneDrive only after a successful save. If reading the latest file fails, PIN verification uses the data already loaded. If saving a wrong attempt fails, its increase remains local to the open session and may be lost on reload.
• Don't let others try your PIN. Lock your computer when you leave it, so nobody can use up the attempts in your open session.
• Note your PIN in a safe place that your organization allows, and keep important credentials in another approved place as well.
• Change the PIN if it is hard to remember - Configure → Change PIN, see KB10450. How to Change Your PIN in Password Vault.