SURFACE LAPTOP 13 INCCH FINGERPRINT SENSOR SUDDENLY NOT DETECTED - ELAN CODE 45

Question

SURFACE LAPTOP 13 INCCH FINGERPRINT SENSOR SUDDENLY NOT DETECTED - ELAN CODE 45

laine lim 0

I have a Surface Laptop 13-inch, 1st Edition with Snapdragon. The fingerprint reader built into the power button was previously working normally, but it suddenly stopped working.

Windows Hello now says: “We couldn’t find a fingerprint scanner compatible with Windows Hello Fingerprint.”

Troubleshooting already done:

Restarted and force restarted the Surface
Installed all available Windows/Surface updates
Ran the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit
Windows Biometric Service is set to Automatic and is Running
Device Manager previously showed an ELAN Fingerprint Sensor with Code 45: “Currently, this hardware device is not connected to the computer.”
The fingerprint/power-button indicator light no longer turns on
Updated the ELAN driver; Windows said the best driver was already installed
Uninstalled the fingerprint device and restarted, but Windows did not redetect it
Scanned for hardware changes, but Biometric devices/fingerprint sensor did not return

Is there a way to force the Surface firmware/hardware to redetect the fingerprint sensor, or does Code 45 in this situation indicate that the fingerprint power-button hardware requires servicing?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

For a Surface Laptop 13-inch, 1st Edition, the supported Windows Hello sign-in method is the fingerprint reader in the power button, not Windows Hello Face. If Windows Hello now shows “We couldn’t find a fingerprint scanner compatible with Windows Hello Fingerprint” and the power-button fingerprint LED no longer turns on, the supported self-service steps are limited to the following:

Restart the device again to complete any pending update installation: Start > Power > Restart.
Check Surface updates in the Surface app under Help & support, then use Check for updates to open Windows Update and install anything available.
Clean the fingerprint sensor with a lint-free cloth only. Do not use glass cleaner or other cleaning chemicals.
Confirm the LED around the Fingerprint Power Button is on. That LED indicates the power button is ready to be used as a fingerprint reader.
If sign-in becomes available again, sign in with the same finger originally enrolled, make sure the finger is clean and dry, place it flat in the middle of the button with light pressure, and avoid moving it.
If fingerprint sign-in returns but recognition is poor, sign in with the PIN and then either:
- add another fingerprint: Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Windows Hello Fingerprint > Add another
- or remove and set up fingerprint again: Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Windows Hello Fingerprint > Remove, then Set up

Based on the documented guidance, there is no published step to force Surface firmware to redetect the fingerprint hardware.

The strongest documented indicator in this case is the fingerprint power-button LED being off. Microsoft’s guidance states that the LED must be on for the power button to be ready as a fingerprint reader. When Windows also cannot find a compatible fingerprint scanner, the next documented path is support/service rather than an additional firmware redetection procedure.

If the device still does not detect the fingerprint reader after restart and updates, use Surface support options:

Open the Surface app, describe the problem, and select Get Help.
If the device is managed by an organization, contact the IT helpdesk or admin.
For business devices, use the documented service & repair path.

Answer 2

Given everything you've already ruled out, the picture here points toward hardware failure rather than something fixable in software. Here's the reasoning and the one thing left worth trying.

Why Code 45 here means "not present," not "not installed"

Code 45 specifically means Windows still has a driver record for the device but the device isn't currently enumerating on the bus — it's different from Code 28 (no driver) or Code 43 (device reported a failure). You've already covered every software-side fix that could cause a false Code 45:

Driver reinstall/update (confirmed already current)

Full uninstall + rescan for hardware changes (didn't redetect)

Biometric service running

Full OS/firmware updates + Surface Diagnostic Toolkit

That combination — especially uninstalling the device and Windows failing to re-enumerate it at all on a hardware scan — rules out driver corruption, service issues, and most firmware/BIOS-table mismatches. If it were a software/enumeration glitch, the rescan would normally at least bring back a "problem device" entry.

The detail that matters most: no light

The fingerprint indicator LED and the sensor are on the same small board/cable assembly built into the power button. If the light doesn't illuminate at all anymore, that's not a Windows-level symptom — it means the sensor module itself isn't receiving power or has failed, or its connector/cable has come loose or failed internally. Software can't fix a component that isn't electrically responding.

One non-destructive thing left to try

Before concluding it's hardware, do a full power drain to reset the embedded controller (EC), since Surface fingerprint/power-button issues have occasionally been traced to an EC that's stuck rather than the sensor itself:

Shut down the laptop completely (not sleep).

Unplug the charger and disconnect any peripherals.

Hold the power button down for a full 60 seconds (this fully discharges the button's capacitors and resets the EC), then release.

Wait about a minute, then plug back in and power on normally.

Check Device Manager > Biometric devices again.

This is quick and has occasionally revived a "phantom" Code 45 on Surface devices where the sensor firmware initialization got stuck. It's a long shot here given the light is out, but it costs nothing to try.

If that doesn't change anything

At that point, yes — this reads as a hardware fault requiring service, not something resolvable through Windows. The power button/fingerprint assembly on Surface Laptops is a sealed, non-user-serviceable module (it's fused with the keyboard deck), so there's no user-level part swap or firmware "force redetect" that reaches down to a physically dead sensor. Your options would be:

In-warranty: contact Microsoft Support for a repair/replacement (this is a defective component, not misuse).

Out-of-warranty: Microsoft's paid Surface repair service, since third-party repair on this specific assembly is uncommon due to the sealed keyboard-deck design.

Windows Hello with a PIN, or a compatible external USB fingerprint reader, would be reasonable workarounds in the meantime if you want biometric sign-in restored sooner than a repair turnaround.