When you open the software, the message "You have entered an invalid password" may appear.

There are a few potential causes of this message. Let's take a look at them and resolve it now.

This message can appear for the following reasons:

• You've entered an incorrect password
• You've upgraded to Sage 50 Accounts v27 or above and your password is longer than 10 characters
• If you've recently downgraded from Sage 50 Accounts v28.1.404.0 to 28.0.226.0
• You've entered an incorrect password
• There's a problem with the password encryption
• You've restored data from a later version
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 or above isn't enabled
• The setup.dta file is corrupt
• Windows FIPS encryption is enabled
• You've recently used CCleaner Registry Cleaner
  

  NOTE: If you have recently run CCleaner Registry Cleaner, please refer to Running the CCClearner Registry Cleaner produces multiple error messages

Try other passwords

If you've restored a backup, you may need to use an old password. If other passwords don't work, check that Sage Accounts is up to date. Also, if you have a multi-company licence, check that you enter the password for the required company.

If you're logging in with a username other than Manager, you can ask the Manager user to reset your password. 

If you've just upgraded to Sage 50 Accounts v27 or above - Only enter the first 10 characters

In Sage 50 Accounts v27 and above the number of permitted password characters has increased from 10 to 32. Earlier versions of the software read only the first 10 characters of your password. When entering your password in version 27 after upgrading, please ensure you only enter the first 10 characters. 

TIP: The password for Sage 50 Accounts can be any combination of letters and numbers and doesn't have any compulsory requirements.

If you've just downgraded from Sage 50 Accounts v28.1.404.0 to 28.0.226.0

This issue has been resolved in the latest version of Sage 50 Accounts.  You can upgrade using the download and install guide.  Or, you can follow the workaround below:

When downgrading from v28.1 to v28.0, you need to remove two registry entries before you can access your company data.

1. Click the link below to download the registry file:
   
   • RemoveCipher.28.1.404.reg
2. Open the file in File Explorer, then double-click RemoveCipher.28.1.404.
3. Click Run, then click Yes and click OK.

The registry entries have now been removed and you can now access your company data.

Reset the Manager password

To Reset the Manager password, on the Logon window click Forgotten password and answer your security question. If the Forgotten Password option doesn't show, the main billing contact from the account must call to have their password decoded which is free of charge, and telephone support is not required.

NOTE: This service is available by telephone only.

Check that Sage 50 Accounts is up to date

You need to ensure you've installed the latest updates from our Sage 50 Accounts software updates guide.

Check if there's an issue with the password encryption

There may be an issue with the password encryption. To check if this is the case you can use our Check for password encryption issues guide.

When opening demonstration data, if you get the Error: "Unable to register datasource" or "Unable to register expression library", you must fix this first.

Reset the Sage password encryption

If there's an issue with the Sage password encryption, you need to uninstall Sage Accounts, remove any Sage.Cryptography files, then re-install Sage Accounts. You can follow the steps in our Reset the Sage password encryption guide to do this.

Check that latest version of Microsoft .NET Framework is installed

Ensure you've installed all the latest updates for Windows.

If using Sage 50 Accounts v24 and below, the invalid password message can appear if Microsoft .NET 3.5 Framework isn't enabled. To check this, you need to turn off Microsoft . NET 3.5 and then back on again. If you require any support with this, contact your local IT support.

Windows FIPS encryption is enabled

If you've recently changed your Windows encryption settings to enable the option 'Use FIPS compliant algorithms for encryption', when you next try and log in to Sage 50 Accounts with your correct password, you may get the message 'You have entered an invalid password' message when Windows FIPS encryption is enabled.

Restore an earlier backup

If none of the above resolve the issue, your setup.dta data file may be corrupt. To resolve this, you must Restore a backup of your data prior to the issue occurring, and reprocess anything if required.

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