How To Fix the “Remove” PIN Option Grayed Out Issue In Windows

The Windows OS lets you set up PINs, or Personal Identification Numbers, for the user accounts so you can quickly, yet securely, sign in to your computer account. PINs let you bypass entering the lengthy secure passwords each time you want to sign in. However, you may want to remove a PIN at times as well.

When attempting to remove a PIN from the Windows Settings app, users have reported that the option is often grayed out. This is a recurring issue users encounter and are unable to fix it.

After searching for a solution, I found several resources that provide solutions to the problem, but in the end, do not work. This is why I have compiled this post to give functional and practical solutions that work and allow you to remove an account’s PIN, regardless of the reason.

Why is the Remove PIN option grayed out?

Some resources suggest that the option might be grayed out because of a technical issue with the operating system, its files, or a Windows update. While that may be true, the more common reason for the “Remove” button to be grayed out in the Windows Hello PIN settings is because of the use of a Microsoft account.

A Microsoft account is a virtual account, linked with an email address, that lets you access Microsoft devices and services. It also synchronizes the devices that you are logged in to using the same account.

When a Microsoft account is linked with a computer account, the computer account uses the Microsoft account credential to sign you in. On top of that, the Windows OS forces you to set up a PIN for a quick login into the device. Once that device is set up, by default, you cannot remove the PIN. Hence, the “Remove” option is grayed out.

This is because another setting in Windows is enabled which only allows Windows Hello sign-in on the accounts that are linked with a Microsoft account. As soon as you disable that option, you should be able to remove the PIN.

If that doesn’t work for you, there is still another method to restore the “Remove” PIN option.

Method 1: Fix “Remove” PIN option grayed out by disabling Windows Hello for Microsoft accounts

The following steps will show you how to restore the “Remove” PIN button in the settings app by allowing other methods to sign into Microsoft accounts. But first, make sure that you are using a Microsoft account, and the issue occurred because of this reason.

To check whether you are using a Microsoft account or a local computer account, go to Settings > Accounts. Here, if you see an email address under the user account name, it means that you are using a Microsoft account. Otherwise, you shall see “Local account” written in its place.

If you have a Microsoft account, perform these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + i to launch the Settings app.

2. Click Accounts on the left.

3. Click “Sign-in options“.

   

4. Expand “PIN (Windows Hello)” and confirm that the “Remove” button is grayed out.

   

5. Scroll down to the “Additional settings” section and disable the option “For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device (Recommended)“.

   

6. Now close the Settings app, relaunch it, and go to the “Sign-in options” page again.

7. Expand “PIN (Windows Hello)” and you will find that the “Remove” button has been restored.

   

You may now continue to remove the PIN for your Microsoft account.

If this solution doesn’t work for you, there is another way around it.

Method 2: Fix “Remove” PIN option grayed out through “I forgot my PIN”

There is another method to remove the PIN from your Microsoft account. However, this is a permanent solution only if you disable the “For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device (Recommended)” option simultaneously. Otherwise, after removing the PIN using the steps given below, when the computer restarts, you will be asked to set up a new PIN, and it will be mandatory.

Here is the alternate method to restore the “Remove” PIN button in the Windows Settings app:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Accounts > Sign-in options.

2. Expand “PIN (Windows Hello)“.

3. Click “I forgot my PIN“.

   

4. In the pop-up, click Continue.

   

5. Enter your Microsoft account credentials and sign in.

6. On the “Set up a PIN” popup, click Cancel.

   

7. On the next window, click the “X” (Close) button to terminate it.

   

After performing the steps above, you will notice that the PIN has been removed. It will also appear in the Settings app, and the “Remove” button will be gone. However, upon restarting the PC, you will be asked to create a PIN again.

To avoid this, you must also disable the “For improved security, only allow Windows Hello sign-in for Microsoft accounts on this device (Recommended)” option as done in “Method 1” above.

Takeaway

Some methods on the internet suggest deleting the “NGC” folder located at “C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\Microsoft“. However, after testing it out, I found that it is not a possible solution to remove the PIN since it asks for you to create a PIN on the next reboot.

While the method may remove the PIN temporarily, since the NGC folder stores that information, it is not a permanent solution.

The 2 methods to fix the grayed-out “Remove” given above surely work for Microsoft accounts, which is normally the reason of the button being grayed out in the first place.