Microsoft Thinks My USB Fingerprint Reader Is A Security Key

Question

I had gotten a USB fingerprint reader to allow me to sign in to my desktop as well as my Microsoft account without needing to type out my password every time. It registers fine with Windows Hello (I can set it up normally and use it to sign in), but every time I go to sign in to my Microsoft account, I always get this "Something went wrong. We couldn't sign in with a passkey. Please try again." message. It works perfectly with Windows Hello, so I'm confused as to why it's not working with Microsoft, given how it says it uses Windows Hello. I then thought that maybe I have to manually go and add it, but when trying to add that option, I click on "Use your Windows PC" and not "Use a security key" I get the message "We encountered an issue setting up your security key. The security key you used is not supported. Make sure you have a Microsoft-compatible security key and try again." I don't know why it's talking about a security key.

Answer 1

Hello Here are some steps you can try to resolve this issue:   Update or Reinstall Your Fingerprint Driver: Open Device Manager, go to Biometric devices or Human Interface Device, right-click on your fingerprint reader, and select Update driver or Uninstall device. Then, restart your computer and check if the fingerprint option is available.   Disable Faulty USB Drivers: Sometimes, a USB driver may not work properly and interferes with the fingerprint reader. To check this, you need to open Device Manager again, scroll down to Universal Serial Bus Controllers, and look for any device that has a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark on it. Right-click on the faulty device, select Properties, and click on the Driver tab. Then, click on Disable device, wait for a few seconds, and enable it again. Alternatively, you can uninstall the faulty device and restart your computer to reinstall the default driver.   Switch to a Local Account: Sometimes, using a Microsoft account may cause issues with the fingerprint option. To switch to a local account, you need to go to Settings, select Accounts, and click on Your info. Then, select Sign in with a local account instead and follow the instructions. After signing out and signing in with your local account, check if the fingerprint option is available.   Remove and Re-add Your Fingerprint: Head to Accounts > Sign-in options in the Settings app. Under the Windows Hello section, click the Remove button. Once removed, click the Set up button and follow the on-screen instructions to register your fingerprint again.