Touch ID not working on your MacBook: causes and fixes

Touch ID on your MacBook is handy: you unlock your Mac, pay with Apple Pay and fill in passwords with your finger. If Touch ID suddenly stops working, it is usually something simple, such as a damp finger or a dirty sensor. Sometimes it is a setting, and sometimes the hardware. This article explains step by step how to find the cause.

Blue Apple repairs MacBooks in Amsterdam. Touch ID problems after liquid damage or after a repair elsewhere are something we see regularly; more about that at the end.

First: is it normal?

In a few situations the Mac deliberately asks for your password instead of Touch ID:

• After starting up or restarting.
• If you have not logged in with your password for more than 48 hours.
• After five failed attempts with your finger.
• When changing certain settings.

After typing your password, Touch ID works again.

Step 1: finger and sensor

• Make sure your finger is clean and dry. Wet, greasy or very dry fingers are recognised less well.
• Clean the sensor (the key top right on the keyboard) with a dry, lint-free cloth.
• Lay your finger flat on the sensor; do not press hard.

Step 2: settings

1. Open System Settings, Touch ID & Password.
2. Check that your fingerprints are still there, and that the right functions are on (unlocking, Apple Pay, password autofill).
3. Delete a fingerprint that works badly and add it again. Place your finger slightly differently each time, so the whole fingertip is captured.
4. Optionally add a second finger as a spare.

Step 3: software

• Restart the Mac.
• Install the latest macOS update.
• If Touch ID does not work in one app, check whether that app supports Touch ID and is up to date.

Touch ID does not work in your password manager or browser

Filling in passwords with Touch ID works in Safari and the Passwords app. If you use another password manager or browser, you often have to turn on Touch ID separately in that program's settings. After an update of such a program you sometimes have to do it again. If Touch ID works in Safari but not in the other program, your Mac is not the problem.

Touch ID is greyed out or unavailable

If Touch ID is greyed out in the settings, or the Mac says Touch ID is unavailable, the Mac does not recognise the sensor. That can happen after liquid damage, a drop or a repair to the keyboard or power button. The Touch ID sensor is securely paired with your Mac's logic board. If the sensor was replaced without that pairing, the button still works as a power button, but no longer for your fingerprint.

With a separate Magic Keyboard with Touch ID

If you use a separate Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, check that it is connected to your Mac via Bluetooth or the cable and that it was paired with the cable the first time. Touch ID on a separate keyboard only works with Macs with an Apple chip.

What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam

We test whether the sensor and the cable to it work and whether there are traces of liquid. You hear beforehand what is possible: with Touch ID the pairing with the logic board plays a role, and that decides what we can restore. More on our page about MacBook keyboard repair. Also read liquid spilled on a MacBook if something was spilled.

Frequently asked questions

How many fingerprints can I add?

Up to three per user and a maximum of five on the whole Mac.

Does Touch ID work with gloves?

No, the sensor needs direct contact with your skin.

Is my fingerprint stored safely?

Yes. It is stored encrypted on the Mac itself, not in the cloud.