Unlocking with a fingerprint or Apple Watch no longer available after updating to Mac OS 26.3?

I have updated my 2024 Mac Mini and my M1 MBPro to MacOS 26.3 and now the only way to unlock either computer is by typing in my password.

The options to unlock with a fingerprint or my Apple Watch (also updated to OS 26.3) are both turned on in System Settings but are not available to log in or to unlock the screen.

This has not happened with previous updates.

How do I recover this functionality?

Mac mini

Posted on Feb 12, 2026 6:29 AM

Top-ranking reply

D.I. Johnson

Level 8

37,173 points

Posted on Feb 12, 2026 7:08 AM

If a simple reboot of your Mac doesn’t fix things, see if the problem still happens in safe mode. Safe mode will often correct weird software behavior by forcing the OS to clear caches, do disk repair and other self-maintenance and housekeeping and temporarily disables third-party mods.

How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

You can exit safe mode by restarting your Mac normally, then reevaluate the problem.

View in context

Unlocking with a fingerprint or Apple Watch no longer available after updating to Mac OS 26.3?

Similar questions