Windows 11: Fingerprint reader not working after upgrade
#windows11#biometrics#windowshello#fingerprint
Ivaj O'Franc

Ivaj O'Franc @ivajofranc

About: IT Engnr. 30y exp solving messy real-world IT problems with a mix of logic, luck and AI. No buzzwords, no fluff—just honest fixes, clear insights, and the occasional "I have no idea how this worked."

Joined:
Aug 2, 2025

Windows 11: Fingerprint reader not working after upgrade

Publish Date: Aug 4
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Windows 11: Fingerprint reader not working after upgrade

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🔐 When Windows Hello says "something went wrong" but the hardware works

Upgraded from Windows 10 Home to Windows 11 Pro on my ASUS UX430U. Everything was perfect until I tried to use the fingerprint reader and Windows Hello greeted me with a message as helpful as an IKEA manual: "This option is currently unavailable. Something went wrong. Try again later."

Spoiler: it wasn't later. It was after diving into group policies.

🔍 Initial context

Hardware: ASUS UX430U with ELAN WBF Fingerprint Sensor

System: Upgraded from Windows 10 Home → Windows 11 Pro

Symptom: Windows Hello doesn't recognize the fingerprint reader for setup

Device Manager showed the ELAN WBF Fingerprint Sensor working without errors. The hardware was there, Windows could see it, but Windows Hello acted as if it didn't exist.

❌ What didn't work (and I wasted time trying)

Reinstalling drivers like a maniac

  • Downloaded drivers from ASUS (Windows 10 and 11 versions)
  • Uninstalled and reinstalled the device
  • Result: The reader kept appearing correctly in devices, but Windows Hello remained on strike

Looking for phantom optional features

I tried to find "Windows Biometric Framework" or "Windows Hello Fingerprint" in:

  • optionalfeatures.exe → Nothing
  • Settings > Apps > Optional features → Nope

Standard repair commands 

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow
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Result: Everything "perfect" according to Windows, but the problem persisted

Checking biometric capabilities 

Get-WindowsCapability -Online | Where-Object Name -like '*biometric*'
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Result: Complete void. Like my motivation at this point.

🛠️ The culprit: Group Policies being policies

Turns out Windows 11 Pro comes with certain group policies that can block biometric functionality, even when the hardware is present and working.

The problem was in gpedit.msc, path:

Computer Configuration →
  Administrative Templates →
    Windows Components →
      Windows Hello for Business
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The "Use biometrics" policy was set to "Not Configured", which in Windows world means "blocked until further notice".

✅ The solution that actually worked

Step 1: Open Group Policy Editor 

gpedit.msc
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Step 2: Navigate to biometric policy

Go to:

Computer Configuration →
  Administrative Templates →
    Windows Components →
      Windows Hello for Business
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Step 3: Enable "Use biometrics"

  • Double-click on "Use biometrics"
  • Change from "Not Configured" to "Enabled"
  • Apply and OK

Step 4: Force policy update 

gpupdate /force
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Step 5: Restart

A manual restart for Windows to process the changes.

🎉 Final result

After restart, Windows Hello immediately showed the "Fingerprint recognition" option. I set up the fingerprint without issues and the reader works perfectly for authentication and login.

🧩 What I learned

Hardware can be perfect, drivers correctly installed, and Windows Hello can still be blocked by group policies. In Windows 11 Pro, this policy comes disabled by default.

For future similar cases:

  • If the reader appears in devices but Windows Hello doesn't recognize it, check gpedit.msc
  • The "Use biometrics" policy must be Enabled, not "Not Configured"
  • Always run gpupdate /force after policy changes

Next time Windows tells me "something went wrong", at least I know it might be the policies' fault, not the hardware.

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