My account is locked: what to do and how an admin unlocks it

MobilityManager temporarily locks an account after repeated failed sign-in attempts to protect it from password guessing. This article explains when a lockout happens, how long it lasts, and how an administrator can clear it immediately.

Symptom

When you try to sign in, you see a message similar to Account is locked. Try again in N minute(s). instead of the usual Invalid email or password response. The countdown decreases each time you retry.

Cause

After 5 consecutive failed password attempts, the account is locked for 15 minutes. The counter increases on every wrong password and resets to zero after any successful sign-in. While the lockout is active, even the correct password is rejected until the 15-minute window ends.

Note: The lockout applies to local (email and password) sign-in. Single sign-on users authenticate at your identity provider, so a local lockout does not apply to them.

Resolution

Option 1: Wait for the lockout to expire

1. Stop retrying, because each attempt during the lockout keeps you from signing in and can be confusing.
2. Wait until the time shown in the message has passed (up to 15 minutes from the last failed attempt).
3. Sign in again with the correct email and password. On success, the failed-attempt counter and the lockout are cleared automatically.

Option 2: Ask an administrator to reset your password

If you cannot wait, or you no longer know your password, an administrator (a user with the SystemAdmin or a suitable custom role) can reset it for you. An admin password reset also clears the lockout and the failed-attempt counter, so you can sign in right away with the new password.

1. Contact your administrator and confirm your email address.
2. The administrator resets your password to a temporary value that meets the minimum length of 8 characters.
3. Sign in with the temporary password and change it at your earliest convenience.

Option 3: Use self-service password reset

You can also request a password reset yourself. Completing a reset sets a new password and clears both the lockout and the failed-attempt counter. See the related article for the full procedure.

Tip: Repeated lockouts often mean a saved or autofilled password is out of date. Update or remove the stored credential in your browser or password manager to stop the pattern.

For administrators

There is no separate "unlock" switch. The supported way to clear a lockout on demand is to reset the user's password, which zeroes the failed-attempt counter and removes the lockout end time in one step. If the account also shows as inactive, reactivate it first, then reset the password.

Related

• I cannot log in: a step-by-step checklist
• I forgot my password or the reset link does not work
• "Access Denied": understanding permissions and roles