Windows has a policy setting that can lock someone out from signing in if they enter the wrong local account password too many times. The user is not allowed to sign in for a set number of minutes after being locked out, but you can change this lockout duration.
Here’s how to change how long someone using a specific Windows machine is locked out if they enter the wrong login credentials a certain number of times. You must be signed in as an administrator to change this policy.
How to Change the Duration a User Is Locked Out of Their Account via Local Security Policy
This method will work as long as the system is running the Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition of Windows 10 or 11.
How to Change the Account Lockout Duration in Windows via the Command Prompt
If the system isn’t running the Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition of Windows 10 or 11, you’ll need to use the command prompt to change how long a user must wait before signing in again after failed login attempts.
Setting this value to zero means the locked-out user will not be able to sign in unless an administrator intervenes and unlocks it. Also, the account lock-out duration must be greater than or equal to the time for the system toautomatically reset the number of failed login attempts.
If you don’t ever want users to be locked out of their local accounts, you mustchange the number of failed login attemptsa user is allowed.
Find the Balance Between Security and Convenience
Setting account lockout duration too high will cause inconvenience, but if you set it to zero, an administrator will have to be contacted each time a user locks themselves out. Find a balance between security and convenience when it comes to changing how long a user is locked out after a set number of failed login attempts.
