Why can I not use Windows Hello?

Windows Hello takes personal access to the next level. Using face recognition and fingerprint technology, you can gain instant access to your Windows 10 device and enhance your security as well. It’s easy to see how this can become a feature many people are attached to, especially with the popularity of such technologies thanks to modern smartphones.

However, many Windows 10 users have reported that Windows Hello stops working after an update, or that they can’t set up Windows Hello properly. While these issues can definitely be devastating, it’s quite easy to troubleshoot. Using our guide, you can get a better understanding of this issue and learn how to fix Windows Hello.

What causes Windows Hello to stop working?

Most of Windows 10 errors can be associated with multiple different causes. The same goes for Windows Hello. While the main cause for your Windows Hello to stop working or not install properly is Windows updates, there are some other possible reasons

Tip: All of the methods in this article can be performed by anybody, as our guides are easy to follow and don’t require any previous Windows 10 experience. If you know anyone who’s experiencing issues with their system, don’t forget to recommend us.

Using the reports from Windows 10's active user base, we were able to collect the most common causes for Windows Hello to stop working.

• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is not set up. TPM is required to be set up and running on your device in order to use PIN login functions such as Windows Hello. Many users were able to get Windows Hello working after troubleshooting this issue.
• PIN login is not authorized. Similar to TPM, the PIN login authorization also has to be enabled in order to use Windows Hello. It's possible that this option was disabled by you or an application, which causes the errors with Windows Hello.
• Outdated or missing imaging and biometric device drivers. Drivers are extremely important to ensure that everything on your device works as intended. A Windows 10 device needs the correct imaging and biometric device drivers in order to run Windows Hello.
• Windows 10 is not updated. Many users have reported that simply switching over to the newest release of Windows 10 solved their issues with Windows Hello. You can find the steps below to update Windows 10.
• Windows 10 installed a specific update. Specific Windows 10 updates are known to cause issues with Windows Hello. One of these updates is the original 1809 update, which was re-released with a fixed version after user feedback on Windows Hello and other problems.
• Corrupted system files. It’s possible that something on your system has been corrupted, which then leads to issues with Windows Hello.

Guide to fix Windows Hello

Now that we’ve taken a look at some possible causes, it’s time to start troubleshooting the errors with Windows Hello.

Note: You might be required to use an administrator account to be able to perform all of the steps described below.

Let’s start right away!

Method 1: Use the Windows 10 Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

Windows 10 comes equipped with multiple troubleshooters that specialize in finding and resolving issues on your device. Luckily, the troubleshooter used for getting rid of hardware- and device-related errors are readily available on your computer without the need to download a single file.

Here’s what you need to do to run the Windows 10 Hardware and Devices troubleshooter.

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to bring up Run. Here, type in “control” and press the OK button.
   
   
2. Make sure to change your view mode to either “Small icons” or “Large icons.”
   
3. Click on “Troubleshooting.”
   
4. Choose the “Hardware and Sound” category.
   
5. Click on “Hardware and Devices” and follow the on-screen instructions provided by the troubleshooter.

Method 2: Set up Trusted Platform Module

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) technology needs to be set up and running on your device in order to use Windows Hello. It's possible that TPM was disabled on accident or during a Windows update, which caused your Windows Hello to stop behaving as intended.

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to bring up Run. Here, type in “tpm.msc” and press the OK button.
   
2. Click on “Action” from the top menu, then choose the “Prepare the TPM…” option.
   
3. Click the “Restart” button and follow the on-screen instructions. When complete, check if Windows Hello works.

Method 3: Use the Registry Editor

Using the Registry Editor, you can authorize the PIN login and possibly fix issues with Windows Hello.

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard. Type in “Regedit” and click the OK button.
   
2. Navigate to the following key using the left pane or copy-pasting the key into the address bar: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System
3. Locate the “AllowDomainPINLogon” entry. If you don’t see it, create it by right-clicking on an empty space and choosing New → DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Double-click on the “AllowDomainPINLogon” entry and change the data value to “1”. Click the OK button to finalize the change.
   
5. Restart your computer. Test if Windows Hello works.

Method 4: Reset the Facial Recognition and Fingerprint options

Some people have reported that simply resetting the two options that makeup Windows Hello’s security features can solve issues.

1. Open the Start menu and choose “Settings”. You can alternatively use the Windows + I keyboard shortcut.
   
2. Click on the “Accounts” tile.
   
3. Select “Sign-In options” from the left panel.
   
4. Locate the “Facial Recognition” and “Fingerprint” options and click the Remove button to reset them.
5. Click on the “Get Started” button and follow the on-screen instructions to freshly set up Facial Recognition and Fingerprint.
6. Restart your computer. Test if Windows Hello works.

Method 5: Update Biometric and Imaging device drivers

Updating your drivers can be an easy and direct solution to get Windows Hello back up and running.

1. Press the Windows + X keys on your keyboard and click on the Device Manager option from the menu.
   
2. Expand the “Imaging devices” and “Biometric Devices” sections by clicking on the arrow icon next to them.
3. Right-click on the devices listed in these sections and choose Update Driver.
4. Allow Windows 10 to look for the newest driver on your local computer or online, then follow any on-screen instructions.
   

Method 6: Update Windows 10 to the latest release

Some users report that simply updating to the newest version release of Windows 10 made any present Windows Hello errors go away. As a bonus, you might even get access to new and exciting features, improved security, and more optimization.

1. Open the Settings application using the Start menu or the Windows + I keyboard shortcut.
   
2. Click on Update & Security.
   
3. In the Windows Update tab, click on the Check for updates button.
   
4. If a new update is found, click on the Install button.
5. After your system successfully installs the newest Windows 10 update, you might be able to use Windows Hello as intended.

Method 8: Run the System File Checker

The System File Checker is a tool available in Windows 10 by default. It’s also called an “SFC scan,” and it’s your quickest way to automatically fix corrupted system files and other issues.

Here’s how to run it.

1. Press the Windows + R keys on your keyboard to launch the Run utility. Type in “cmd” and  press Ctrl + Shift + Enter. This is going to open the Command Prompt with administrative permissions.
   
2. If prompted, make sure to allow the Command Prompt to make changes on your device. This means that you might need an administrator account.
3. Type in the following command and press Enter: sfc /scannow.
   
4. Wait for the System File Checker to finish scanning your computer. If it finds any errors, you’ll be able to fix them automatically through the SFC command itself, which may also fix related errors.

We hope this article was able to help you restore Windows Hello into working order.

Are you interested in learning more about Windows 10? Check our guide on how to fix Windows Update Keeping Turning Off here. You can browse our dedicated Help Center section for related articles.

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Why can't i enable Windows Hello?

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