Windows 10: Asks for PIN when adding a different hotmail account to the mail app

I have two outlook/Hotmail accounts. One I log into the PC with (which is pretty crappy by the way and is a huge hassle in Windows 10 IMO).
In the mail app, I was able to add the mailbox of the one I use, however I have a second email account through Hotmail that when I try to add the account to the mail app, it asks me to verify with a pin. I have never used a PIN with this account. I went to settings and sign in option, and have an option to change the pin, however it is wanting to change the main account that I log into the pc. The pin appears to be 4 digits (it only allows 4 characters before it auto enters) unlike the main pin which is 8 or 9 numbers.

Thanks in advance,
Bryan

:)

 

Microsoft Mail App - account that opens

it must open to the account that was first added when you use the Mail app to open the mail.

i guess i can just add individual pinned email accounts to the start grid. Doesnt seem to be a way to have that mail app square open to the account i want so i will just use individual pinned accounts.

 

Windows 10 phone - email setup asking for pin?

It is the same on PC with windows 10 as well. I have two Hotmail accounts, two gmail accounts and so on and configured them on windows Mail. It worked for a while. After a while the Mail app comes with a pop saying that the account settings for my Hotmail
accounts are out of date.

When I click on fix the account settings the popup comes to enter PIN, which I never entered when I initially configured the account.

I click on Forgot the password and it advices me to go to Settings->Accounts->Sign-in Options. But here we can change or set the PIN for the windows login account. Right now I do not use an email to login and hence cannot set the PIN for any of my hotmail accounts.

 

Hi Bryan, welcome to the Ten Forums.


The PIN the Mail app asks for the verification when a new / another Microsoft email account (Outlook, Hotmail, Live, MSN) is added is the PIN for the Microsoft Account you use to sign in to Windows.

An example: Let's say your Windows 10 sign-in MS account is L: Bryan@AnMSEmail.com, and when signed in using that MS account you want to add your second Microsoft email address L: slopland@OutlookHotmailOrLive.com to the mail app. You enter the credentials for the L: slopland@OutlookHotmailOrLive.com, and when done, the Mail app wants to check you are really the user L: Bryan@AnMSEmail.com, the user currently signed in to Windows. To verify this you need to enter the PIN of the current Windows sign-in account, the one of L: Bryan@AnMSEmail.com.

I've only seen this to happen when adding any of the Microsoft's email accounts to the mail app. Adding for instance a Gmail account does not ask it.

Confusing, I have difficulties to understand myself what I just wrote! I hope you get it, though.

 

Thank you for the reply. I have tried that but the PIN auto enters after 4 numbers and the PIN for the computer login is 8 or 9 characters. It does not allow me to put in more than 4 numbers.

 

Are you sure now you are not mixing the password and the PIN? I checked my previous post and the information told in it is both accurate and valid.

To put it very short: if you sign in to windows using an MS account Email1@OutlookOrHotmailOrLive.com, and you want to add Email2@OutlookOrHotmailOrLive.com to the Mail app, the PIN asked is the PIN (not the password) for the Email1@OutlookOrHotmailOrLive.com, your current Windows sign-in account.

Below a live example with screenshots.

By default a Windows user account has no PIN. It needs to be set up, either when installing Windows or later on if skipped when installing. When set, the PIN for the Windows 10 sign-in is four or more digits long, as the user prefers. In your case if it auto enters after 4 digits, you have a 4 digit PIN. I use a 5 digit PIN, in my case when I add a new Microsoft email account to mail app it auto enters after the 5th digit.

Here's how it works:

My Windows sign-in MS account L: @abcdefgh.com is already automatically added to Mail app, later on I have added a second MS account. Now adding a new account L: larry.laffer@abcdefgh.com, I enter this new account's credentials normally:




When added, the account tells Attention Required. Clicking the account I get the option Fix account selecting it:




The next dialog is a bit confusing. It asks me to verify that the L: larry.laffer@abcdefgh.com is mine by asking the current Windows 10 sign-in accounts PIN, that of L: @abcdefgh.com




I enter my Windows sign-in 5 digit PIN for the user account L: @abcdefgh.com, the account I am currently using to sign in to Windows, and now the L: larry.laffer@abcdefgh.com will finally be added to the mail app.

If you are not sure which PIN you have set up, if you have forgot it, go to your account settings and change it. Notice that if you have forgotten the PIN, you need first to remove it, then set a new one. Changing the PIN will first ask the old PIN which of course if you have forgotten it you cannot enter.

• PIN - Add to your Account in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
• PIN - Change for your Account in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
• PIN - Remove from your Account in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

 

Thank you very much for taking the time for such a detailed reply. I had been going through that exact process. The hang up was when it asked for a PIN (I confirmed it was indeed asking for a pin). I attempted to enter my main MS PIN. This PIN was 7 digits. The box where I entered the number would automatically enter when I put in 4 characters, so as a result, I could never fill in my complete PIN. I went ahead and reset my PIN to a 4 digit one. This seems to have worked, although for some reason, that messed up the certificate in all of my gmail accounts. I am good with computers, but I have never had this much difficulty with a simple email set up... But, thank you very much for your help.

Bryan

 

Good to know you got it finally.

Strange that it went to auto enter after just 4 digits. I've tested it now again, and in my case it always accepts the correct amount of digits.