How to Enable or Disable Windows Hello Biometrics
- 24 steps
- Needs administrator rights
- Group Policy needs Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise or Education
- Includes a restart or sign-out
Windows Hello lets you sign in to Windows 11 with your face or fingerprint instead of a password. You can also use a PIN, which is a Windows Hello sign-in method but not a biometric. Most modern PCs support it, as long as they have a compatible camera or fingerprint reader.
You might turn biometrics off to get around a camera or scanner that keeps throwing errors. You might also do it on a shared PC where you don’t want anyone’s face or fingerprint used to sign in. This guide covers two ways to switch biometrics on or off for the whole computer: Local Group Policy Editor and Registry Editor. Both need an administrator account. If you only want to remove your own fingerprint or face data, use Settings Accounts Sign-in options instead.
Open Local Group Policy Editor by pressing Win+R, typing gpedit.msc, and pressing Enter. Navigate to Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Windows Components Biometrics, double-click “Allow the use of biometrics”, and set it to Disabled to turn off Windows Hello biometrics or Enabled to turn it on. Restart your computer for the change to take effect.
Turn Windows Hello Biometrics On or Off Using Local Group Policy Editor
The policy you need is “Allow the use of biometrics”. It controls fingerprint and face sign-in for every user on the PC. Setting it to Disabled stops biometric sign-in, but your PIN and password keep working.
- Open Local Group Policy Editor. Press the Win+R to open the Run box, type
gpedit.msc, and press Enter. The Local Group Policy Editor window opens. If Windows says it can’t find the file, you are on Home edition. Use the registry method instead. - Expand the folders on the left side. Go to Computer Configuration Administrative Templates Windows Components Biometrics. Click the small arrow next to each folder to open it.
- Click the Biometrics folder. The policies for it appear in the right pane.
- Double-click “Allow the use of biometrics”. A settings window opens for that policy.
- Choose one option:
- Not Configured — Biometrics is allowed. This is the default.
- Enabled — Biometrics is allowed and turned on.
- Disabled — Biometrics is turned off and can’t be used.
- Click OK to save. The window closes and the policy’s state is updated in the list.
- Restart your computer so the change takes effect.
After the restart, open Settings Accounts Sign-in options. If you disabled biometrics, the fingerprint and face options should no longer be usable. To undo the change, open the same policy again and set it back to Not Configured (the default), then restart.
Turn Windows Hello Biometrics On or Off Using Windows Registry Editor
Registry Editor is a tool for editing low-level Windows settings directly. Use this method on Windows 11 Home, or on any edition where you can’t open Group Policy. It creates the same policy value that Group Policy would set, so you get the same result.
- Open Registry Editor. Press the Win+R, type
regedit, and press Enter. If User Account Control asks for permission, click Yes. ⚠️ Admin privileges required. - Go to this key. Paste or browse to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft. You can paste the path into the address bar at the top of the window, then press Enter. Otherwise, expand the folders in the left pane one at a time. - If there is no Biometrics key inside Microsoft, create one.
- Right-click Microsoft, choose New Key, and name it Biometrics. The new key appears in the left pane.
- Click the Biometrics key to select it.
- In the right pane, right-click an empty area and choose New DWORD (32-bit) Value. A new value appears with its name highlighted.
- Name the new value Enabled and press Enter.
- Double-click Enabled and set:
- Base: Decimal
- Value data:
- 1 to turn biometrics ON
- 0 to turn biometrics OFF
- Click OK, then close Registry Editor.
- Restart your computer to apply the change.
To undo the change, open the same key, set Enabled back to 1, or right-click the value and choose Delete. Restart afterward. If something goes wrong, double-click the .reg file you exported earlier to restore the backup.
Summary
Windows Hello gives you quick sign-in with your face or fingerprint, plus a PIN as a fallback. You can switch the biometric part on or off at any time with either the Local Group Policy Editor or the Registry Editor. Use Group Policy on Pro, Enterprise, and Education. Use the registry on Home.
Both methods change the same system-wide setting, and both need a restart to take effect. Disabling biometrics doesn’t remove your PIN or password, so you can still sign in.
Think about where the PC is used before you decide. Biometrics are fast and secure, but poor lighting, a dirty camera, or a worn fingerprint reader can cause repeated failures. If that is your problem, try cleaning the hardware or re-enrolling first. Disable biometrics if the errors persist or if the PC is shared.
Questions and feedback are always welcome in the comments section below.
Frequently asked questions
How to enable biometrics 🪟 Windows 11?
Open Settings, select Accounts, then Sign-in options. Under Windows Hello Face or Windows Hello Fingerprint, select Set up and follow the prompts. If those options are missing, your PC may lack a compatible camera or fingerprint reader, or biometrics may be turned off by policy. Check the policy in Local Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor, which need an administrator account.
How to disable Windows hello?
To remove only your own face or fingerprint data, go to Settings Accounts Sign-in options, select Windows Hello Face or Windows Hello Fingerprint, and click Remove. To block biometric sign-in for the whole PC, set the policy Allow the use of biometrics to Disabled in Local Group Policy Editor, or set its registry value to 0 in Registry Editor. Both need an administrator account.
How to enable Windows hello?
Open Settings, select Accounts, then Sign-in options. Choose Windows Hello PIN, Windows Hello Face, or Windows Hello Fingerprint, select Set up, and follow the prompts. Windows may ask for your current password first. Face and fingerprint options appear only if your PC has a compatible camera or fingerprint reader.
How to enable Windows hello face recognition?
Open Settings, select Accounts, then Sign-in options, and choose Windows Hello Face. Select Set up, then Get started, and look at the camera when Windows asks. Face recognition needs an infrared camera. If the option is missing, the camera may not be compatible, or a policy may have biometrics turned off.
How to stop Windows hello from blocking certain settings 🪟 Windows 11?
Windows Hello can block some settings when a policy requires extra sign-in verification or when another person manages the PC. Open Settings Accounts Sign-in options and look for a message about options managed by your organization. On a personal PC, check the Allow the use of biometrics policy in Local Group Policy Editor, which needs an administrator account.
How to turn on Windows hello?
Open Settings, select Accounts, then Sign-in options. Select a Windows Hello option such as PIN, Face, or Fingerprint, click Set up, and follow the on-screen steps. If you want face or fingerprint sign-in, your PC needs a compatible camera or fingerprint reader.
I have Windows 10 Pro. Does this guide work for me, and how do I set up Windows Hello fingerprint or face?
Asked by a reader
Most of this guide works on Windows 10 Pro. Group Policy Editor is included, and the Biometrics policy is in the same folder, so you can follow the policy steps to turn biometrics on or off. The guide doesn't cover setup, though. To add a fingerprint or face, open Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and pick Windows Hello Fingerprint or Windows Hello Face. Your PC needs a compatible fingerprint reader or infrared camera. Some menu names may differ slightly on Windows 10.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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