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touch id not working

Anyone have any issues with their touch ID? Just recently i updated my MacBookAir and ever since my Touch ID for whatever reason stopped working. I was told to delete the finger print and re-add it. I did just that but now its not letting me add a finger print...I type my password in and seconds later nothing happens. Anyone know a possible fix to this?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.1

Posted on Jan 16, 2021 9:58 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jan 16, 2021 10:27 PM

Apple-watchissue Said:

"touch id not working: [...]I was told to delete the finger print and re-add it. I did just that but now its not letting me add a finger print...I type my password in and seconds later nothing happens.[...]"

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Some Thoughts - Might be a Reinstall:

 

A. Boot into Safe Mode:

In Safe Mode, temporary files (caches) are set aside, and sometimes are fixed. So, boot into Safe Mode by holding down the shift key upon boot until you get to the Log In Screen. Then, log in as the same user, and look for the words "Safe Mode" on top-right corner. Once you see "Safe Mode", then you know you are officially in Safe Mode. Wait a few moments, then shut down the Mac. Boot up and log in as normal. See if it is all has been fixed.

 

B. Create a New Administrator User.

What happens when you try a new Administrator user? Create one and see if you are still getting this error. If it no longer occurs, then it is something misconfigured in your current user. So, either transfer everything over to the new user (documents, etc.), and then delete this current user. Or, reinstall the MacOS.

 

If neither of the above works....

 

C. Reinstall the macOS:

Sometimes, changes are made to your Mac (i.e. Updates), and then settings (i.e. for ports), become manipulated, technically. So, reinstalling the macOS will place moved items back to where they should be, and will replace damaged system files. There are two steps: backup, then perform the reinstall. In depth:

1. First, Back up your Mac:

Create a Time Machine backup of your Mac, so that you can have something to restore your Mac from, should anything go wrong with the reinstall.

2. Then, Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be deleted. It's just that items that have become corrupted or deleted, would be replaced or reinstalled back to where they should be. Go Here: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple Support

1 reply
Question marked as Best reply

Jan 16, 2021 10:27 PM in response to Apple-watchissue

Apple-watchissue Said:

"touch id not working: [...]I was told to delete the finger print and re-add it. I did just that but now its not letting me add a finger print...I type my password in and seconds later nothing happens.[...]"

-------


Some Thoughts - Might be a Reinstall:

 

A. Boot into Safe Mode:

In Safe Mode, temporary files (caches) are set aside, and sometimes are fixed. So, boot into Safe Mode by holding down the shift key upon boot until you get to the Log In Screen. Then, log in as the same user, and look for the words "Safe Mode" on top-right corner. Once you see "Safe Mode", then you know you are officially in Safe Mode. Wait a few moments, then shut down the Mac. Boot up and log in as normal. See if it is all has been fixed.

 

B. Create a New Administrator User.

What happens when you try a new Administrator user? Create one and see if you are still getting this error. If it no longer occurs, then it is something misconfigured in your current user. So, either transfer everything over to the new user (documents, etc.), and then delete this current user. Or, reinstall the MacOS.

 

If neither of the above works....

 

C. Reinstall the macOS:

Sometimes, changes are made to your Mac (i.e. Updates), and then settings (i.e. for ports), become manipulated, technically. So, reinstalling the macOS will place moved items back to where they should be, and will replace damaged system files. There are two steps: backup, then perform the reinstall. In depth:

1. First, Back up your Mac:

Create a Time Machine backup of your Mac, so that you can have something to restore your Mac from, should anything go wrong with the reinstall.

2. Then, Reinstall the macOS:

Nothing would be deleted. It's just that items that have become corrupted or deleted, would be replaced or reinstalled back to where they should be. Go Here: How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple Support

touch id not working

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