How To Enable Fingerprint And PIN Login On Windows 10 1803
The Windows 10 April Update resulted in dynamic lock devices no longer working for some users. For Windows 10 users connected to a domain, it seems the fingerprint unlock and PIN login has stopped working. When users go to the Settings app to enable fingerprint and PIN login, the options are greyed out. There’s a pretty simple fix for this but it involves editing the Windows registry.
Fingerprint And PIN Login
In order to edit the Windows registry, you need administrative rights. Open the registry by typing regedit in Windows search, or in the run box.
Navigate to the following location. You can paste it in the location bar in the Windows Registry Editor and jump straight to it.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System
Here, look for a DWORD value named AllowDomainPINLogon. If it’s not there, right-click System and select New>DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it AllowDomainPINLogon, and set its value to 00000001.
Restart your system and then open the Settings app. Go to the Accounts group of settings. Select the Sign-in Options tab, and the fingerprint and PIN unlock options should be enabled.
This seems like a bug but it was done deliberately. Ideally, adding the DWORD value back to the Windows Registry should resolve the problem. Windows 10 should still remember your PIN and your fingerprints after the update however, that’s not the case for everyone.
If after adding the DWORD value, Windows 10 doesn’t recognize your PIN or saved fingerprints, remove them all and add them again. This is something slightly similar to the dynamic lock problem which had to be resolved by removing the devices used to lock/unlock devices, and then adding them back again. This solution works for users who are connected to a domain. If you’re not connected to a domain but experiencing this same problem, you can try this fix but there are no guarantees that it will work.
If you’re still unable to use a PIN or a fingerprint to unlock, check with your network administrator. There might be additional measures in place to prevent the feature from working. If your hardware ie.. fingerprint scanner is particularly dated, it may be that the new update is not compatible with it. There’s no simple way to tell if the device is compatible or not. You can try checking on the manufacturer’s website or by using an external scanner to see if it works. If it does, the problem is likely with your device. Try rolling back to an older driver for your fingerprint scanner and it might work again. If it doesn’t, you might need to look at getting an external scanner or upgrading your system.
Brilliant article, simply to follow and worked a treat. Thank you.
SB Supplies Ltd
I have add the registry as in the article and it worked, Thanks.