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
    2023-02-12T16:27:36+00:00

    After last update the fingerprint is still working, anyway I am in Window 11 Pro for workstation. Reset the laptop to factory solve the issue. All other options I tried do not work on my Lenovo P53s.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-02-11T19:53:08+00:00

    The latest upgrade to windows 11 re-installed the fingerprint option. So, it seems to be a Windows omission versus a problem on my PC.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-02-11T14:45:19+00:00

    finger print scanner is not working. please do something ASPS. because users getting problem to sigh in laptop.

    @microsoft...!!!:)

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-02-04T19:47:48+00:00

    This fix worked for me, uninstalling the driver from the device manager (the driver had a small yellow triangle with an exclamation mark) and restarting the windows fixed it.

    I had tried to use Driver's easy before that and it didn't really detect the missing driver.

    In the case of my Dell Inspiron, no "Biometric Device" appears in the device manager, not even the "Biometric Device" heading appears.
    I have found a workaround, though:
    In the device manager, click on "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" near the bottom.
    If you have the same flaw that I had, one of the controllers will have a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark on it signaling a problem with that device. Right-click on it and select the driver tab. Click "Uninstall Device."
    Once you have uninstalled it, you can reboot and windows will reinstall it with the default (older) driver (at least I think this is what it is doing). When you return to the device manager, you should now see the "Biometric devices" heading and if you open it you will see "Goodix fingerprint." When you return to settings, the fingerprint settings will no longer be greyed out and you can set it up. In my case, it reappeared with all my original settings intact.
    Dell, Goodix, and Microsoft are stuck in a death spiral trying to resolve this. Eventually, there will be a new driver or a new update that will fix it.
    Let me know if this helps.

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  5. Anonymous
    2023-01-28T14:15:32+00:00

    I have a Lenovo ThinkBook P53S. My suggestion is to back up the important thing and reset to the factory. I had the same issue I lost fingerprints and Hello face recognition and, after a while I got the bluescreen. Restarting the laptop will solve the blue screen for a while but after the blue screen comes up again. I tried a different method before resetting my laptop and nothing was working for me. You will find all the things you can try in these threads (It is not working in my case).

    How to reset a Windows 11 PC to factory settings | Windows Central

    After reset, all working fine.

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