But what can you do if Touch ID suddenly stops working on your Mac? Here are a few quick fixes that you can try to get your Mac’s Touch ID going again.
Sometimes Touch ID Isn’t Supposed to Work
It’s possible that you haven’t heard of this, but there are a few situations when you’ll think that there’s something wrong with your Mac’s Touch ID sensor, but everything’s actually working as it should. Confusing, right?
There may be situations when, for security reasons, your Mac will ask you to enter your password instead of allowing you to use Touch ID. Here is a list of those situations:
After restarting your MacBook After your Mac doesn’t recognize your fingerprint five times in a row After adding or deleting fingerprints After using Emergency SOS If you haven’t used your Mac for more than 48 hours When trying to make changes to the Touch ID settings
So, if you’re trying to use Touch ID in the situations described above, and your Mac isn’t letting you do it, there’s no need to worry. But aside from those cases, if your Mac’s Touch ID does not recognize your fingerprint, it means that there is an issue with it.
How to Fix Touch ID Not Working on a Mac
There are a number of steps that you can take to make your Mac’s Touch ID work properly. If, for no apparent reason, your MacBook has stopped recognizing your fingerprint, here are six solutions that you can try.
1. Make Sure Your Mac Is Up to Date
It’s possible that your Touch ID issues are happening because your Mac is not running the latest macOS software version.
To update your Mac, head to System Preferences > Software Update. If you see that there is an update available for your Mac, then click the Update Now button and follow the onscreen instructions to finish the process.
2. Clean the Touch ID Sensor and Wash Your Hands
If there is some dust or dirt on your MacBook’s Touch ID sensor, it may be the cause of your issues. Just grab a clean cloth and thoroughly wipe the sensor.
Also, you should make sure that your fingers are also clean. The Touch ID sensor doesn’t react well to wet or oily fingers, so you should wash and dry your hands before using it.
3. Restart Your MacBook
The Touch ID issue with your Mac may be a temporary and easily fixable one. Sometimes restarting your device is all you need to do to solve such an issue. To restart your Mac, head to Apple > Restart from the menu bar.
If, for any reason, it won’t restart normally, there are other methods to force restart your Mac.
4. Re-Enter Your Fingerprints
Sometimes deleting your fingerprints and adding them again may be the solution to your Touch ID problems. To do so, head to System Preferences > Touch ID, move your mouse cursor over your fingerprint, and click the X icon. Then click Delete.
To re-enter your fingerprint, click on the plus icon (+) located over Add Fingerprint and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
5. Reset the System Management Controller
Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) can solve plenty of Mac issues, including Touch ID problems. There are a few different ways you can reset the SMC on your Mac, and all of them usually won’t take up much time.
6. Check Touch ID Settings
It’s possible that you may have disabled Touch ID for some specific tasks or apps. If you’ve noticed that your Mac’s Touch ID is working fine with most services except for Apple Pay, for instance, then this must be the case.
To check the Touch ID settings on your Mac, head to System Preferences > Touch ID. Under Use Touch ID for, you can find a list of all of the services with which you can use Touch ID. Make sure that you’ve checked the ones that you want to use Touch ID for.
More Solutions to Mac Touch ID Issues
If you’ve tried all of the above options and nothing has helped to solve the Touch ID issue, it’s quite possible that you may be having hardware problems. So, if you’ve noticed that your Mac’s Touch ID sensor is damaged or has many scratches, it’s best to contact Apple about a possible repair.
