Seeking help with Biometrics, Touch ID

Face ID is not supported on Macs. As to an external Touch ID sensor, unless I've missed a product somewhere the only thing that would work is Apple's own Magic Keyboard with Touch ID:

Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad for Mac models with Apple silicon (USB–C) - Tech Specs - Apple Support

Note that it will not work to power on your MBA if it's completely shut down. It will only wake it up, but there's rarely any benefit to shutting down your Mac anyway.

Third-party fingerprint sensors almost certainly will not work to unlock your Mac or with any other service that requires Touch ID (such as Apple Pay).

Regards.

dtryon9981 wrote:

As I said

"My MBA is on all the time, cover closed and standing upright."

I am hoping to find a means to utilize Biometrics with my MBA used as I described.

You are using a MacBookAir with the lid closed, and you wish to use biometrics with the MacBook Air, but those biometrics are only accessible within the closed lid.

varjak paw is correct.

The only option here — only, unique, sole, single, without alternatives — for external biometric authentication from macOS on Apple silicon is the Apple Touch ID keyboards, and it is unclear if that’ll even completely work here.

Third-party apps can work with third-party biometric readers or CAC readers or such, but those are not integrated into the Apple security and the Apple biometric authentication support. The add-on USB biometrics readers are not integrated with the Apple hardware security, and will not work.

For alternative approaches, I’ve worked with various people that desperately wanted a laptop too, and that then never traveled anywhere with it. It sat on their desk. Which made for an interesting set of more expensive and problematic compromises. Which segues into using a Mac mini and not the MacBook Air, or using both and iCloud desktop as a more expensive alternative. That does have full support for the Apple external keyboard and its biometrics.

Or you can use a lectern-like stand which allows you to use the MacBook Air with the lid open, and which might well be the cheapest available option here.

The only option is the Apple keyboard to which I linked above, at least for unlocking your Mac or using Apple services that require Touch ID. Third-party services and sites may work with third-party fingerprint scanners.

dtryon9981 wrote:

If I am understanding what you have said it is to use a desktop stand that would hold the MB at an angle with the top open?

Here is a third-party vendor with some examples, and there are other vendors:

https://www.twelvesouth.com/collections/macbook