November 28, 2025 By Sergiu Gatlan
Microsoft warned users that Windows 11 updates released since August may cause the password sign-in option to disappear from the lock screen options, even though the button remains functional.
On Windows 11, the password icon appears only if multiple sign-in options (e.g., PIN, security key, password, fingerprint) are available. If you only use a password, the icon may not appear at all since Windows will just show the password field by default.
As Microsoft revealed in updated support documents this week, users with multiple sign-in options enabled may still not see the password icon on the lock screen if they installed the August 2025 KB5064081 non-security preview update or subsequent updates on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 systems.
However, it added that hovering over the space where the icon should appear reveals the button, allowing users to sign in with their password.
"If you hover over the space where the icon should appear, you'll see that the password button is still available," Microsoft explained. "Select this placeholder to open the password text box and enter your password. After entering your password, you can sign in normally."
Microsoft has not released a workaround beyond using the invisible button functionality and said that it's working to resolve the problem, but has yet to provide a timeline for a fix.
