Fingerprints

If Touch ID isn't working on your Mac

Only by re-adding them back

If you need to enter your password

The first time you log in after you turn on, restart, or log out of your Mac, you must log in by entering your password manually. After that, you can use Touch ID to log in.

Additionally, you might need to enter your password instead of using Touch ID in these situations:

• Your fingerprint isn't recognized five times in a row
• You haven't unlocked your device in more than 48 hours 
• You're trying to change settings in the Touch ID pane of System Preferences

You're quoting from a help page for iPadOS and iOS, which will only be relevant if @Bobby121047 has posted in the wrong forum and is actually asking about Touch ID on an iPad or iPhone. This community covers macOS Monterey (for desktop and laptop Macintosh computers), and my original answer reflected the settings on my MacBook Pro.

@Bobby121047, would you like me to ask the mods to move your post?

Manage your Touch ID settings

Go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode to manage these settings:

• Turn Touch ID on or off for Passcode, iTunes & App Store, or Apple Pay.
• Enroll up to five fingerprints. Each new print might make fingerprint recognition take slightly longer.
• Tap a fingerprint to rename it.
• Swipe to delete a fingerprint.
• Identify a fingerprint in the list by touching the Touch ID sensor. The matching print in the list will be highlighted briefly.

So the logic would be since 3 of 5 have been enrolled - one can add 2 more

I don't know what the upper limit is, but on my MacBook Pro 15" 2018 with TouchBar I can add, rename and remove fingerprints at will via System Preferences - Touch ID:

If you delete one, far as I'm aware there's no way of 'getting it back' from some saved setting.

But I've just deleted "Middle Finger Right" and then set it up again without any difficulty.

No probs. As far as I can tell on my own MacBook Pro, you can't have more than three fingerprints - there's no way of adding more, so I don't know how you got five.

So if you launch System Preferences, and open the Touch ID pane, then what happens if you hover your pointer over one of the existing fingerprint icons? Do you see a cross to the top left, as here?

If you do, what happens if you click the cross? Do you then get a security dialog asking your for your user password, like this?

What happens when you type in your password and click OK?

Or does something different happen?

If you could upload a screenshot it might help resolve the issue.

Cheers,

H

There is some unconfirmed information on a limit of 3 Registered Finger Prints per user account at any given time.

I can not confirm from any reliable sources.

Yes! An "add fingerprint" icon will appear in place of the deleted fingerprint, and you can set up a new fingerprint by clicking that.

😃