Add or remove a fingerprint for Touch ID on your Mac

Why it happens

Your Mac learns each finger separately, so a new finger has to be added on its own. Fingerprints belong to your user account, and each account can hold only a few, so you may need to delete one to make room. The sensor is the Touch ID button at the top-right of a MacBook keyboard, or on a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu, choose System Settings and click Touch ID & Password in the sidebar. Your current fingerprints are shown as small fingerprint icons.

2. Click Add Fingerprint and enter your login password when asked.

   Touch ID & Password›Add Fingerprint

3. Rest your finger lightly on the Touch ID sensor, lift it, and repeat. When asked, change your grip so the edges of your finger get read too. The fingerprint picture on screen fills in as it learns.

4. Click Done. To give it a name, click the label under the new fingerprint and type, for example Right thumb.

5. To delete a fingerprint, hold the pointer over it, click the delete button that appears, then enter your password and confirm.

Still not fixed?

1. Add Fingerprint greyed out or missing? You've probably reached the limit, so delete a finger you don't use. A Mac that belongs to a school or company may also have Touch ID turned off by its manager.

2. If setup says it can't finish, dry your finger, wipe the sensor with a soft lint-free cloth, then restart your Mac and try again.

   Apple menu›Restart…

3. On a desktop Mac with a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, connect the keyboard with its cable once so it pairs, then check it shows as connected in Bluetooth settings. The Touch ID keyboard works with Macs that have Apple silicon.

   Bluetooth

4. If your Mac has no Touch ID sensor at all, there's nothing to set up here. Touch ID & Password only offers fingerprints on Macs or keyboards that have the sensor.

5. If the sensor never reads any finger, even after a restart and a clean, it may be a hardware fault. Contact Apple Support or an Apple Authorized Service Provider, since Touch ID repairs need Apple's own parts.