How to fix Error 1216 on Windows 11

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Windows 11 Error 1216: “The Format of the Specified Password Is Invalid”

Why This Error Happens

Error 1216 typically occurs when Windows attempts to authenticate a network resource, mapped drive, or scheduled task using stored credentials that have become corrupted or improperly formatted in the Credential Manager. This often happens after a password change on the target system (another PC or domain account) that wasn’t synchronized with the cached credentials on the local machine. It can also occur when a script, batch file, or third-party application passes credentials to Windows APIs (like WNetAddConnection2) using an incorrect encoding or an unsupported character set.

Step-by-Step Resolution Guide

  1. Clear Stored Credentials in Credential Manager
  • Press Win + R, type control /name Microsoft.CredentialManager, and press Enter.
  • Under Windows Credentials, locate the entry related to the network resource throwing the error (e.g., a server name or IP address).
  • Click the entry, select Remove, and reboot the machine to force Windows to prompt for fresh credentials.
  1. Re-map the Network Drive Manually
  • Open File Explorer, right-click This PC, and select Map network drive.
  • Enter the network path (e.g., \\ServerName\ShareName).
  • Check Connect using different credentials, and manually re-enter the username and password—ensure there are no trailing spaces or special characters causing encoding issues.
  1. Check for Scheduled Task/Script Credential Issues
  • Open Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc) and locate the task using saved credentials.
  • Go to the General tab, re-select “Run whether user is logged on or not,” and re-enter the password to refresh the stored hash.
  • If using a script with net use, ensure the password isn’t split across lines or wrapped in unsupported quote characters.
  1. Verify Group Policy or Password Complexity Mismatch
  • Run gpedit.msc and navigate to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Password Policy.
  • Confirm that the password meets the complexity requirements demanded by the target domain/server; a password valid locally may be rejected if it doesn’t meet the remote resource’s policy.
  1. Update Network Credential Provider via Registry (Advanced)
  • Press Win + R, type regedit, and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Lsa.
  • Ensure the value LmCompatibilityLevel is set to a level compatible with the target server (usually 3 or higher for Windows 11).
  • Restart the machine after making changes.

Alternative or Verification Steps

  • Verify the fix: Open Command Prompt and run net use \\ServerName\ShareName /user:Domain\Username *. If prompted correctly for a password without throwing Error 1216, the credential store has been successfully repaired.
  • Alternative fix: If the error persists, try clearing all cached credentials using the command cmdkey /list to view stored entries, then cmdkey /delete:TargetName to remove the specific corrupted entry before re-adding it via Credential Manager.