How to Fix Continuous Enter Network Credentials Message on Windows

Network credentials on your PC are important because they prevent other people from using your computer on the network. While this feature is essential to protecting your important files and improving the overall security of your system, it can sometimes cause problems.

A common issue is when Network Credential Manager keeps displaying the “Enter Network Credentials” dialog box, even when you enter the correct credentials. In this guide, we will walk you through some troubleshooting methods that you can try to get rid of this issue completely.

1. Modify Advanced Sharing settings

One of the most common causes of this error is having your Advanced Sharing settings set incorrectly. Ideally, your PC should be allowed to manage homegroup connections. You can also use the Advanced Sharing settings page to disable password-protected sharing, which will allow you to share files without logging in.

Here's how you can configure Advanced Sharing settings exactly:

1. Locate the network icon on your taskbar and right-click on it.

2. Select Network and Internet settings from the context menu.

3. In the next window, select Network and Sharing Center .

4. Select the Change advanced sharing settings option on the left.

5. Now, enable the Allow Windows to manage homegroup connections (recommended) option under Homegroup connections .

6. Click Save changes (you will need admin access for this).

7. Now, expand the All Networks section and enable the Turn off password protected sharing option .

8. Click the Save changes button to complete the process.

After you transfer the files, turn on password-protected sharing again so others can't easily access your PC.

2. Use Microsoft account credentials or computer name

You can also try logging into the target PC using Microsoft account credentials instead of a local username and password.

Alternatively, you can also try using the computer name you are using along with your username in the text field associated with Username. Do not enter spaces, dashes, or any other symbols between the names.

If the problem is related to login information, either of these methods can help you get rid of the problem permanently.

3. Manually add the target computer's credentials to Credential Manager

Another way to troubleshoot is to manually add the target computer's credentials to Credential Manager and see if that makes a difference.

Here's how you can do it:

1. Type "Credential Manager" into Windows Search and click Open .

2. Select Windows Credential and click Add a Windows Credential .

3. Now add the username, computer name and password of the computer you are trying to access. Check if you can now share files with other devices successfully.

4. Create a new user account on both devices

Sometimes user accounts become corrupted and prevent you from performing certain actions. If this happens on your PC or the target computer, it can disrupt file sharing.

To fix this issue, first try switching to a different user account on your computer and see if that works. If this strategy fails, then you should create a new user account on both devices with the same username and password. Make sure that both accounts have admin privileges. While you are doing this, you should temporarily disable any third-party antivirus programs you may be using as they can sometimes block network access.

If the root of the problem is a corrupt user account then this should be enough to fix the problem.

5. Restart the Credential Manager service

The issue can also be with the Credential Manager service itself instead of the targeted computer or network settings on your device. In this method, we will first enable the Credential Manager service if it is disabled.

If it worked then try restarting the service and see if that helps. Here is what you need to do:

1. Press Win + R to open Run .

2. Type services.msc into Run and press Enter.

3. In the next window, find the Credential Manager service and right-click on it.

4. Select Properties from the context menu.

5. If the service is disabled, click the Start button to enable it.

6. In case the service is already running, click the Stop button , wait a few seconds and then click the Start button .

7. Make sure that Startup type is set to Automatic .

8. Click Apply > OK to save the changes.

Now, try connecting to the target computer and see if you can do so without any problems.

6. Make changes to Local Security Policy

Some users have also tried to fix the issue by modifying the "Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only" policy setting. Here's what you can try:

1. Press the Win + R keys to open Run.

2. Type "secpol.msc" into Run and press Enter.

3. In the window, navigate to the following location:

Local Policies > Security Options > Accounts: Limit local account use of blank passwords to console logon only

4. Select Disabled and click Apply > OK to save changes.

5. Restart your computer and check if the problem is resolved.

7. Try using Safe Mode With Networking

If the credentials you are entering and all network configurations on the system are correct then there may be a system level error.

In this case, you can boot into Safe Mode to determine the cause of the problem. Safe Mode starts Windows with only the basic set of drivers and applications - the things needed for the operating system to function.

There are several types of Safe Mode including Minimal, Alternate Shells, Active Directory Repair, and Network. In this method, we will boot Windows into Safe Mode With Networking. This mode starts Windows with the drivers and programs needed to connect the system to the Internet or other devices over the network.

If the current error does not appear in Safe Mode, it is likely that malware or another software issue is causing the problem. Here is what you need to do:

1. Go to the Start menu and click the Power button .

2. Select Restart while holding the Shift key.

3. Wait for Windows to boot into recovery mode, then select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options .

4. Navigate to Startup Settings > Restart .

5. In the next window, press the F5 key on your keyboard to boot into Safe Mode With Networking.

6. After you log in to Safe Mode, try connecting to the device you were trying to connect to earlier. If the error does not appear in Safe Mode, then you may want to report this issue to the official Microsoft support team and wait for them to fix it.

In case you are unable to access this Windows state using the steps outlined above, you can try other ways of booting into Safe Mode .