Issue with Windows Hello on Windows 11 - fingerprint recognition option currently unavailable

Hi Beatriz,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

I'm Hahn and I'm here to help you with your concern.

I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble adding a new fingerprint on Windows 11. This seems to be a common issue that some users have reported. There are a few possible solutions that you can try to fix this problem.

• One solution is to update or reinstall your fingerprint driver. To do this, you need to open Device Manager, go to Biometric devices or Human Interface Device, right-click on your fingerprint reader, and select Update driver or Uninstall device. Then, restart your computer and check if the fingerprint option is available.
• Another solution is to disable faulty USB drivers. Sometimes, a USB driver may not work properly and interferes with the fingerprint reader. To check this, you need to open Device Manager again, scroll down to Universal Serial Bus Controllers, and look for any device that has a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark on it. Right-click on the faulty device, select Properties, and click on the Driver tab. Then, click on Disable device, wait for a few seconds, and enable it again. Alternatively, you can uninstall the faulty device and restart your computer to reinstall the default driver.
• A third solution is to disable and enable the fingerprint driver. This may help reset the fingerprint reader and make it work again. To do this, you need to open Device Manager once more, right-click on the fingerprint driver under Biometric devices or Human Interface Device, select Properties, and click on the Driver tab. Then, click on Disable device, wait for a few seconds, and enable it again.
• A fourth solution is to switch to a local account. Sometimes, using a Microsoft account may cause issues with the fingerprint option. To switch to a local account, you need to go to Settings, select Accounts, and click on Your info. Then, select Sign in with a local account instead and follow the instructions. After signing out and signing in with your local account, check if the fingerprint option is available.

If there is no problem under the new account, this should be a fault in the account profile, please refer to the following article to transfer your details to the new account. Fix a corrupted user profile in Windows - Microsoft Support

• Boot into Safe Mode: This will load only the necessary drivers and services, which helps to identify any software related issues that may be causing problems.

To boot into safe mode, boot up and wait for the login screen to appear, instead of logging in, click the restart button while holding down the Shift key. From the menu that appears, select Troubleshooting, Advanced Options, Startup Settings and Restart in order. Once the device has rebooted, select Safe Mode from the list of options.

If the problem disappears during the above two steps, please try to remove the antivirus/system optimiser/system monitor software installed on your computer one by one until the problem disappears.

Note: Some functions may be temporarily lost during the troubleshooting process. These functions will be restored when you start your computer in a normal way. However, you may receive the original error message or may experience the original behaviour.

• Reset the fingerprint sensor: You can try resetting the fingerprint sensor to its default settings. To do this, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Windows Hello Fingerprint > Remove.
• Clear the cache: Clearing the fingerprint sensor cache may also help resolve the issue. To do this, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Windows Hello Fingerprint > Advanced Options > Clear Fingerprint Data.

I hope this helps you solve the problem with adding a new fingerprint on Windows 11.

If there is anything not clear, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Your Sincerely

Hahn - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

I just bought this computer, I didn't set up fingerprint ID immediately. One day later I decided to set it up, I was able to get to the point where it asked me to repeatedly place my finger on the finger print pad and remove it, but no matter how long I spent doing this there were no signs of progress or this step coming to an end.

Hi I had the same issue. I was using Fingerprint to sign in fine up until recently.

As I was going through the troubleshoot, I realized that I don't even have the fingerprint reader under Human Interface Device.

How can I install that on my computer?

This is pretty incomprehensible to me. I have a microsoft accout which microsoft keep updating and now seem to have produced an update which stops the laptop functioning properly. Surely we need another update which sorts this problem at your end siince it was caused by your updates.

Hi Beatriz,

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

I'm Hahn and I'm here to help you with your concern.

I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble adding a new fingerprint on Windows 11. This seems to be a common issue that some users have reported. There are a few possible solutions that you can try to fix this problem.

• One solution is to update or reinstall your fingerprint driver. To do this, you need to open Device Manager, go to Biometric devices or Human Interface Device, right-click on your fingerprint reader, and select Update driver or Uninstall device. Then, restart your computer and check if the fingerprint option is available.
• Another solution is to disable faulty USB drivers. Sometimes, a USB driver may not work properly and interferes with the fingerprint reader. To check this, you need to open Device Manager again, scroll down to Universal Serial Bus Controllers, and look for any device that has a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark on it. Right-click on the faulty device, select Properties, and click on the Driver tab. Then, click on Disable device, wait for a few seconds, and enable it again. Alternatively, you can uninstall the faulty device and restart your computer to reinstall the default driver.
• A third solution is to disable and enable the fingerprint driver. This may help reset the fingerprint reader and make it work again. To do this, you need to open Device Manager once more, right-click on the fingerprint driver under Biometric devices or Human Interface Device, select Properties, and click on the Driver tab. Then, click on Disable device, wait for a few seconds, and enable it again.
• A fourth solution is to switch to a local account. Sometimes, using a Microsoft account may cause issues with the fingerprint option. To switch to a local account, you need to go to Settings, select Accounts, and click on Your info. Then, select Sign in with a local account instead and follow the instructions. After signing out and signing in with your local account, check if the fingerprint option is available.

If there is no problem under the new account, this should be a fault in the account profile, please refer to the following article to transfer your details to the new account. Fix a corrupted user profile in Windows - Microsoft Support

• Boot into Safe Mode: This will load only the necessary drivers and services, which helps to identify any software related issues that may be causing problems.

To boot into safe mode, boot up and wait for the login screen to appear, instead of logging in, click the restart button while holding down the Shift key. From the menu that appears, select Troubleshooting, Advanced Options, Startup Settings and Restart in order. Once the device has rebooted, select Safe Mode from the list of options.

If the problem disappears during the above two steps, please try to remove the antivirus/system optimiser/system monitor software installed on your computer one by one until the problem disappears.

Note: Some functions may be temporarily lost during the troubleshooting process. These functions will be restored when you start your computer in a normal way. However, you may receive the original error message or may experience the original behaviour.

• Reset the fingerprint sensor: You can try resetting the fingerprint sensor to its default settings. To do this, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Windows Hello Fingerprint > Remove.
• Clear the cache: Clearing the fingerprint sensor cache may also help resolve the issue. To do this, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Windows Hello Fingerprint > Advanced Options > Clear Fingerprint Data.

I hope this helps you solve the problem with adding a new fingerprint on Windows 11.

If there is anything not clear, please do not hesitate to let me know.

 

Your Sincerely

Hahn - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

I have the same problem. I can’t understand how using a Microsoft Account is a problem. I don’t want a second account on my computer!