Troubleshooting logging in to remote hosts (error 5 / 1326 / 1327 / Login failed)

Error 5 means you did not enter the correct password to access a Mac host. Error 1326 means you did not enter the correct password to access a Windows host. Error 1327 means you did not enter a password at all. This generally happens when you forget your username or password that you use to sign in to your remote computer.

Remember: The remote host computer is the one that you want to access in a distant place. On the host, you have to install (also known as "deploy") an app, called host software to set up a connection between your client and your remote Windows or Mac computer. This app makes sure that wherever you are in the world, whatever computer you use to access your host, only you can access it, over a secure connection. When it comes to retrieving forgotten usernames and passwords, you can only do that while sitting at the host computer.

Important: Windows PIN and Picture passwords are stored locally on the PC, and there is no way to relay that information over a network connection. Since a PIN is not considered a legitimate password, accessing PIN-protected remote computers is not supported. That's when you have to type a PIN code to sign in to your computer. This also means that when your computer is PIN-protected, you still have to enter your password to access it remotely. If you do not want to create a password, you have to set up an access code. For more information on PIN protection, see Microsoft's website.

Find your username on a Windows host

While sitting at the computer that you want to be able to access, press and hold the Windows key and press the letter R on your keyboard. The Run dialog box is displayed.
In the box, type cmd and press Enter. The command prompt window will appear.
Type whoami and press Enter.

Your current username will be displayed.

Important: When you are on a computer domain, the domain name is also part of your username. In the example above, the username is 3amlabs/kirtes, where 3amlabs is the computer domain of the user.

Find your username on a Mac host

Physically go to the computer that you want to be able to access, or ask someone who is present at that computer to perform the following steps.

Tip: In some cases, you may need to ask for help from the person who manages the host software at your organization.
Select the Apple menu and go to System Preferences > Users and Groups.
Any user in the Administrators group can be used to log in to the computer.

Find a forgotten password on a host

We have no way to retrieve your password that you use to log in to your remote host computer. If you forget your host's password, you can reset it while you are physically at the host. This is a standard feature on both Windows and Mac hosts.

If you still experience issues, call us by selecting Contact Support.