Touch ID stopped working after last system update

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Level 1

18 points

Touch ID stopped working after last system update

The Touch ID on my new MacBook Air has been very handy, but after the latest system update a few days ago it stopped working. Sometimes I can get it to work once right after it boots, but after that it's as if the Touch ID doesn't even notice my finger is there. I tried turning it on and off, deleting and recreating my fingerprint (sometimes I can't even create a fingerprint), but that has not helped. Is this a software bug or is there something I can do?

Looks like the system is macOS 10.15.5 (19F101).

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jun 15, 2020 5:27 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

sterling r

Community Specialist

Jun 18, 2020 3:39 PM in response to Ken-183

Hi Ken-183,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities. I understand you are having trouble with Touch ID working on your MacBook Air after the most recent updates.

Here is a helpful link:

Use Touch ID on your Mac

Specifically under

"Learn more about Touch ID

In some situations, you need to enter your password instead of using Touch ID:

If you've just restarted your Mac
If you've logged out of your user account
If your fingerprint isn't recognized five times in a row
If you haven't unlocked your Mac in more than 48 hours
If you've just enrolled or deleted fingerprints

If you still need help unlocking your Mac with Touch ID, follow these tips. Try again after each one:

Make sure that your fingers are clean and dry.
Moisture, lotions, sweat, oils, cuts, or dry skin might affect fingerprint recognition. Certain activities can also temporarily affect fingerprint recognition, including exercising, showering, swimming, or cooking.
Your finger should cover Touch ID completely. While Touch ID is scanning, don't press down or move your finger.
Try setting up a different fingerprint."

Have a great day!

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Answer 2

Ken-183 Author

Level 1

18 points

Jul 23, 2020 8:26 PM in response to Ken-183

About a week ago I got my macOS updated to 10.15.6, at which time my TouchID seems to have started working better again. Sometimes it's perfect, sometimes it still takes 5-10 seconds to recognize my finger, but it's definitely improved over what it was doing before the update.

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Answer 3

Ken-183 Author

Level 1

18 points

Jun 18, 2020 7:12 PM in response to sterling r

Well, after some more time and experimentation, I can say that the problem is intermittent. So maybe there is something I am doing to my fingers that is affecting it. Just now I was able to get it to recognize my fingerprint after about five seconds of carefully holding my finger on the Touch ID. Perhaps when I thought it was broken it was just slower than I expected. Unfortunately, the very next time I wanted to use Touch ID it didn't respond to my finger even after 10-15 seconds. And, oddly, just to check, I used the Touch ID on my iPhone SE (with the same finger) and it worked flawlessly.

So, I'm tempted to say that the problem is with my finger and not with Touch ID, but I'm still not sure. It seems like it was working much better last week, and whether or not it works seems more random than anything to do with any of the situations you listed.

Thanks for the suggestions.

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Answer 4

Ken-183 Author

Level 1

18 points

Jun 19, 2020 1:24 PM in response to Ken-183

I don't know if this is helpful, but an update of symptoms today: I can consistently unlock my MacBook when it is asleep with Touch ID; it's worked every time today. But I has never worked (doesn't respond to my finger) attempting to use it for password autofill or App Store. I also tried to add a fingerprint but it wouldn't recognize my finger at all during that process. And I tried restarting with no change in behavior.

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Answer 5

Ken-183 Author

Level 1

18 points

Jun 25, 2020 6:43 AM in response to Ken-183

I read some old suggestions related to this and one recommended booting into safe mode. I did that, and Touch ID worked perfectly. It continued to work when I rebooted normally... until I plugged in my external monitor (hdmi through an adapter in a thunderbolt port). As soon as I did, it slowed down and soon stopped working entirely. So I feel like I'm getting somewhere. At least I know that my finger isn't broken. And I can reproduce the problem reliably now: unplug the monitor and Touch ID works perfectly, plug it in and it stops.

Now that I know why, I still need to find a solution...

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Touch ID stopped working after last system update

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