The Dissapearance of Fingerprint (sign-in option) from My Windows 11 Laptop

Question

The Dissapearance of Fingerprint (sign-in option) from My Windows 11 Laptop

Rahman 5

asking

Hello admin,

I left my laptop on sleep for around 3-4 days. When i opened my laptop today, I noticed that the fingerprint option on my lock screen does not appear or missing. When i tested it on the fingeprint scanner, nothing happen. I tried to set it up again on the settings but it seems like the option is not available (example can be seen in the attached image). Hopefully you can help me to figure it out on this one. It is a small matter but the fingerprint really helps me a lot in sign in SSO.

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Answer recommended by moderator

Ryan Marshall 0

Issue: Intermittent USB Fingerprint Reader Disconnects

Symptom:
The fingerprint reader intermittently disappears (becomes unavailable) on the Windows login/lock screen.

Temporary Workaround:
Physically unplug and reconnect the USB fingerprint reader.

Root Cause:
Windows power management cuts power or suspends upstream USB hubs during sleep or idle states, causing the biometric device to disconnect or fail to reinitialize.

Permanent Fix

Disable USB power-saving features along the connection path between the fingerprint reader and the motherboard.

Resolution Steps:

Open Device Manager:
Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
Switch to Connection View:
In the top menu, go to View → Devices by connection.
Locate the Fingerprint Reader:
Expand the tree to find your biometric device.
Disable Power Saving on Upstream Hubs:
For each USB Root Hub or Generic USB Hub sitting directly between the reader and the system:
- Right-click the hub and select Properties.
- Switch to the Power Management tab.
- Uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power".
- Click OK.
Repeat for any other parent USB hubs in that specific device tree.

Hope this helps anyone experiencing the same issue!

Regards,

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2 additional answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Thomas4-N 22,555 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello Rahman,

Since Fingerprint, PIN, and Facial recognition are all showing as unavailable, I would first check whether this is limited to the fingerprint reader or affecting Windows Hello more generally.

Please try a normal Restart first. Microsoft recommends restarting the device when Windows Hello sign-in options stop working.

If the options are still unavailable afterward, open Device Manager > Biometric devices and let me know whether the fingerprint reader:

appears normally,
has a warning icon, or
is missing entirely.

That will help narrow down whether the next step should focus on the fingerprint device/driver or Windows Hello itself.

Thomas4-N 22,555 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-23T09:45:54.43+00:00

Hello Rahman,

Just check in to see how things are going. Let me know if you need anything.

Answer 2

Try these steps in order:

Check updates first
- Open the Surface app and expand Help & support to check update status, or go to Windows Update and install available updates.
- Then test Windows Hello again.
Check whether the fingerprint option is still available in Sign-in options
- Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
- If Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello) is present, select Remove, then set it up again with Set up.
- While enrolling, place the finger in the middle of the sensor with light pressure and change position slightly a few times.
Add another fingerprint if the option is available but recognition is unreliable
- Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Fingerprint recognition (Windows Hello) > Add another.
If the fingerprint option is missing or says no compatible scanner was found
- Open Device Manager.
- Check whether the sensor appears under Biometric devices.
- If it is listed, right-click the fingerprint device, select Uninstall device, then restart the laptop so Windows can reinstall the driver.
Restart the Windows Biometric Service
- This can help when the sensor stops responding after sleep.
- First remove the PIN in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options.
- Then open Command Prompt as administrator and run:
```
     net stop wbiosrvc && net start wbiosrvc
```
- Then check whether fingerprint sign-in works again.
- Warning: removing the PIN changes sign-in configuration temporarily.
If PIN also does not work
- Sign in with the password.
- Go to Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > PIN (Windows Hello) and select I forgot my PIN to reset it.
If using an external fingerprint reader
- On Windows 11, an external or third-party reader may not work if Enhanced sign-in security is enabled.
- Go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Additional settings.
- If there is an Enhanced sign-in security toggle:
  - For non-ESS devices, turn it off to allow the external reader.
  - For ESS-capable devices, confirm it shows Pending set up and complete setup.
- Warning: disabling Enhanced sign-in security removes existing ESS enrollments and associated credentials such as passkeys. They can be reprovisioned afterward.
If the problem started recently and Windows Hello worked before
- A recently installed app, driver, or update may be the cause.
- Try a restore or reset path if needed.

If the fingerprint option disappeared after sleep and the scanner does nothing, the most relevant checks are Device Manager, driver reinstall, and restarting the biometric service.