Fingerprint reader not working on Windows 11: "This option is currently unavailable"

Reported
Anonymous
2021-11-28T21:29:19+00:00

I recently got a Dell Inspiron with Windows 11 preloaded. The fingerprint reader was working fine at first, but now it appears to not be working with windows hello. The option to add a finger or remove the fingerprint are greyed out and not clickable.

I've seen posts about this issue in Windows 10, but the fixes aren't working for me.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Accounts, profiles, and login

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-03-13T04:16:00+00:00

    Same here..nonthing has worked.. Microsoft tech support couldn't even fix it... they are sending me a new laptop.. but I feel like I'm going to have the same issue..I may not upgrade to windows 11 though unfortunately

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-03-13T03:35:20+00:00

    Nope..I tried everything..Nothing worked

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-03-13T02:39:44+00:00

    I have the same problem. It seems related to the fingerprint reader/driver not recovering from sleep mode. That is why it works after a restart. I found a resource that said to turn off the "auto power off" setting in the device settings for the biometric device. Unfortunately, my version of device manager doesn't have the tab for power management. I tried to find a different way to control that but wasn't able to find anything.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-03-12T18:11:24+00:00

    Yeah my fingerprint stopped working 2 weeks after I purchased my Surface Laptop Go. Mines isn't even lighting up anymore, so I can't even delete it or rest it or do anything.

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-03-12T18:05:00+00:00

    I have the same issue on a newish AUSUS ROG laptop. It will work after setup a couple of days then not. It will no longer recognize my finger print. I then have to delete and setup again.

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