auto unlock with apple watch is not showing in my Security and Privacy window

Hi

Auto Unlock with Apple Watch is available for Mac models from mid-2013 and later running macOS Sierra.

Check that:

• Your Mac has both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
• Your Apple ID is using two-factor authentication (as opposed to two-step verification):
  • Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support
  • If you are currently instead using two-step verification, follow the instructions here to turn it off (under "How do I turn off two-step verification?") before enabling two-factor authentication:

    Frequently asked questions about two-step verification for Apple ID - Apple Support

• Your Mac and Apple Watch are signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID:
  • On your Mac, choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click iCloud.
  • On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, then go to General > Apple ID.
• Your Apple Watch is using a passcode:

  On your iPhone, open the Apple Watch app, then tap Passcode.

• Handoff is enabled on each of your iPhone and your Mac:
  • On your iPhone, go to: Settings > General > Handoff.
  • On your Mac, go to: System Preferences > General - near the bottom, check the option for "Allow Handoff between this Mac and your iCloud devices".
  • If these settings are already enabled, one user found that it helped to disable and re-enable Handoff on their iPhone.

More information:

Automatically unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Check Keychain along with other stuff.
I went through all this with a senior support guy and even reinstalled Sierra, not a nuke and pave though. Could have been corrected at server level when things started to work right after a few days?
Things did change for me when I turnded off keychain for iOS which I don't use. I found a duplicate [NOT an old,legacy and sidelined file] for keychain too: possiblility of a password conflict of some kind?
I would suggest setting up a new keychain at least if one has this problem. Bear in mind also that keychain and your Mac's login are the same. I didn't realize this at one point really since the set up is so seamless intitially. Reply if this helps anybody.

You're welcome! 🙂

I did everything and it has never worked. I set two-factor authentication, set passcode on my watch, set Handoff on iMac, iPhone 5s, and the watch app. I see my watch and Disable automatic login, in Security & Privacy on my iMac. I type my password after my iMac restart, but after the screen saver goes on and it goes to sleep a minute after, I hit a key to wake it up and I see my watch trying to log in, but it always fails so I have to type my password.

Any suggestions?

Please note that in order to enable your Apple Watch to Auto Unlock your Mac, you must also update your Apple Watch to watchOS3. This has been glossed over in most of the reviews.

If you are not seeing "Allow your Apple Watch to unlock you Mac", you will need to un-pair your watch from your phone, then re-pair, then it will show up on your Mac. It's a bug reported in the Beta, but never fixed.

Didn't help me... the problem is not that the setting is greyed out... it just doesn't appear at all. I have a 2014 iMac 5k, and the setting is simply not present.

I'm having the exact same issue. It was there when I first upgraded, and the unlock feature worked on my watch. But after two days it stopped working and the check box disappeared.

I had the same issue, but this fixed it:

1) update Apple Watch to watchOS 3.0

2) Unpair Apple Watch

3) Pair Apple Watch

Not only that but you have to sign out of iCloud and then back in again on your Mac.

Spoke to Apple Support; apparently it's a known issue. Their advice (which did solve the problem) was:

• Unpair Apple Watch from iPhone
• Sign out of iCloud on Mac
• Sign back in to iCloud on Mac
• Re-pair Watch and restore from backup.

And you really do need to wait until your Watch is absolutely restored, before the option appears in the Security & Privacy screen.

That said... the feature is extremely flaky. 90% of the time, I get the message "Unlocking with Apple Watch" before being presented with the password text box. Pffft.

Hi All, I was having the exact same issues. I have 5 iMacs, 3 MacBooks, 3 Phones and 2 watches and all of them are approx 1 - 2 years old. Nothing worked and we didn't had the option on any of the Macs. But after spending almost 2 days of trail and error I discovered that turing "Enable handoff" on and off in the watch app on the iPhone actually did the trick. Within two seconds we got notifications on Macs and after checking the menu it appeared. When switching it on, please first unlock your watch as it will try to establish a connection.

What worked for me was to turn off my iMac, iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time, and turn them all on.