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
    2022-01-18T01:43:44+00:00

    I'm happy to have shared this solution with the community

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-01-18T01:17:51+00:00

    Used this fix with my Lenovo Yoga as well. Thanx!

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-01-17T00:00:17+00:00

    Windows Hello, I hate to have to say it, but it is not user friendly when a security device doesn't work (even if it did or should). If you had an enterprise or whatever capable Windows, there could be a little more ability, but it is still highly unfriendly.

    It might not be fixable. The only fix might be to wait for some Windows update to someday to fix it. The way its made is kind of to not allow users to tamper or work with it since its security and the way into Windows.

    However, if the security key works say in a browser with a 2fa website login then Windows Hello is the issue.

    If it doesn't work from a browser, then you have an issue with it working and would need to solve that. That would not be a Windows Hello issue directly. You might need to have Dell fix that or buy something else Windows hello allows. As I would expect that to be a physical issue. A security key should just work. If it would randomly fail so easily, its unreliable for security, and shouldn't be used.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-01-16T22:34:00+00:00

    Hi Carlo,

    This did not work, and the issue is still unresolved.

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-01-11T15:15:15+00:00

    I had the same issue, my machine is a Microsoft Surface Go 2, the finger print login feature stopped working after I updated from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

    Thanks very much for posting your experience and the fix.

    I launched "Device Manager" found the finger print device and then disabled the it and then again enabled it.

    My problem has been resolved.

    Credits to DCHarrison and Robin_Ben

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