How to set up Touch ID on a Mac

MacUpdated

To set up Touch ID on a Mac, go to System Settings > Touch ID & Password, click Add Fingerprint, enter your password and follow the instructions. Apple says you can add up to three fingerprints to your user account and save up to five on the Mac. Then choose what Touch ID is for: unlocking, Apple Pay, purchases, passwords and switching users.

Quick answer

Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Touch ID & Password in the sidebar. Click Add Fingerprint, enter your password, then follow the onscreen instructions. The sensor is at the top right of the keyboard. Then turn on the uses you want, such as "Use Touch ID to unlock your Mac" and Apple Pay.

Where is Touch ID on a MacBook Pro?

Apple says that if your Mac or Magic Keyboard has Touch ID, the sensor is at the top right of your keyboard. You may have added a fingerprint when you first set up the Mac (the setup steps are in how to set up a new MacBook Pro). Either way, everything below works at any time afterwards.

How do I add a fingerprint?

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Touch ID & Password in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down.
  2. Click Add Fingerprint.
  3. Enter your password.
  4. Follow the onscreen instructions.

You can add up to three fingerprints per user account, and the Mac can store up to five in total. Fingerprints belong to a user account, and Apple notes that only logged-in users can reach their own Touch ID information, and an administrator can't change another user's fingerprints.

What can Touch ID do on a Mac?

In Touch ID & Password settings, Apple lists these options. Turn on the ones you want.

  1. Use Touch ID to unlock your Mac: unlock with any fingerprint added to your account when you wake the Mac from sleep.
  2. Use Touch ID for Apple Pay: approve Apple Pay purchases.
  3. Use Touch ID for purchases in iTunes Store, App Store and Apple Books.
  4. Use Touch ID for autofilling passwords: fill in usernames and passwords in Safari and other apps. Apple says it can also fill in credit card information.
  5. Use Touch ID for fast user switching: switch between user accounts on the Mac.

There's also "Use Apple Watch to unlock your apps and your Mac", which Apple says is available only if your Mac supports Auto Unlock. Apple adds that you can use Touch ID to sign in to some third-party apps.

Can I lock my Mac with Touch ID?

Yes. Apple lists pressing Touch ID, if your Mac or Magic Keyboard has it, as one way to lock the screen immediately. Apple also lists Apple menu > Lock Screen and hot corners. To unlock, use Touch ID again, or press any key and enter your password. More ways are in how to lock your Mac screen.

How do I rename or delete a fingerprint?

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Touch ID & Password.
  2. To rename one, click the text below the fingerprint and type a new name.
  3. To delete one, click the fingerprint, enter your password, click Unlock, then click Delete.

Naming them helps if you've added more than one finger and later want to remove a particular one.

Why does my Mac still ask for my password?

Touch ID works alongside your password, not instead of it. Apple says you need to have logged in by entering your password before you can use Touch ID, and you need to enter your password when you start up your Mac.

Apple's list of cases where you'll be asked to type your password:

  • You haven't logged in since you last logged out, including by shutting down or restarting.
  • You haven't unlocked your Mac in more than 48 hours.
  • You're changing Touch ID settings.
  • Your fingerprint isn't recognised five times in a row.
  • Your Mac is set up to log in automatically.

Apple also says only user accounts with passwords can be unlocked with Touch ID; sharing-only users and guest users can't use it. If automatic login is on, see how to turn off automatic login on Mac.

What if Touch ID isn't working?

Apple's fixes, in order:

  1. Make sure your finger and the sensor are clean and dry. Apple says moisture, lotions, sweat, oils, cuts or dry skin can affect recognition, including after exercising, showering, swimming or cooking.
  2. If Touch ID works for some things but not others, check that the right option is turned on in Touch ID & Password settings.
  3. Install the latest macOS updates, in System Settings > General > Software Update.
  4. Restart your Mac.
  5. Delete the fingerprint and add it again, or add and use a different finger.

For a Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, Apple adds that the keyboard has its own requirements: models with a USB-C port need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later.

Where Failshot fits

Touch ID and your password decide who gets into your Mac. Your password is the first layer. Failshot is the second: second layer device security for your Mac, and a new Mac is the moment to add it. The fingerprint you've just added does a second job here: switching Failshot off, or quitting it from its menu, takes Touch ID or your Failshot PIN and answer, never your Mac password.

While it's on, Failshot photographs whoever unlocks your Mac, then, with Pro, records a 5-second video, and its window tells them the unlock was photographed. With the Mac's built-in camera, the green light comes on. With Pro, turn on alerts and Failshot emails you about an unlock you don't confirm as yours, a wrong Failshot PIN or answer, or its camera access being switched off while it's on.

Failshot runs on macOS 14 or later. Free to download. It's free to use. Pro adds video, email alerts and the encrypted vault, and you can try Pro free for 7 days. Your card is taken at sign-up and charged on day 8 unless you cancel. The trial is on failshot.app, for the Mac. iPhone, Android and Windows are coming soon.

More questions

Can I use Touch ID to log in after a restart?

No. Apple says you need to enter your password when you start up your Mac, and after you've logged out, shut down or restarted. After that first password, Touch ID can unlock it.

Can someone else add their fingerprint to my account?

Adding a fingerprint needs your password. Apple says only logged-in users can access their own Touch ID information, and an administrator can't change another user's Touch ID settings or fingerprints.

Why did Touch ID stop working after a few days?

Apple says you must enter your password if you haven't unlocked your Mac in more than 48 hours, or after five failed fingerprint attempts in a row. Once you type it, Touch ID works again.

Does Touch ID work with the guest account?

No. Apple says only user accounts that have passwords can be unlocked with Touch ID, and sharing-only users and guest users can't use it.

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