Cannot add a second fingerprint

Question

Cannot add more than one fingerprint in Windows Hello. I tried clearing fingerprint data in BIOS and resetting Windows Hello (by clearingC:\Windows\System32\WinBioDatabase ).

It says: "Your device is having trouble recognizing you. Make sure your sensor is clean."

Sensor: Synaptics FP Sensors (WBF) (PID=0017)

Driver: Synaptics FP Sensors 4.5.507.0

System: Windows10 Pro 22H2

Answer 1

Hi 145a,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A!

I understand that you want to add a secondary fingerprint in Windows with Synaptics FP Sensors, but it failed even after you tried advanced steps like clearing the WinBio database and BIOS data.

From similar reports I could find, this behavior could be related to the limitation of Synaptics WBF fingerprint drivers. If it's not supporting multi‑finger enrollment, it can report back the error even though your sensor works fine.

Since the enrollment is handled by the device driver, Microsoft cannot fix it through Windows means without vendor involvement. There are some workarounds that have helped other users that you can try out, but please note that they’re not guaranteed:

1 - OEM driver update

• Visit your system manufacturer’s support page for drivers
• Look for a newer biometric driver validated for Windows 10 22H2.
• If no newer driver exists, this confirms the issue is vendor-side, not Windows.

2 - Force newer Synaptics WBF driver (even if not compatible)

• Download the newest Synaptics fingerprint driver from the OEM
  • Visit the official website for your laptop / fingerprint reader
  • Or check another OEM using the same Synaptics WBF family
• Press Win + X > Device Manager > Update driver > Browse > Let me pick
• Select the newly downloaded driver (ignore compatibility warning, if any).

If no newer driver exists for your device, the only supported workaround unfortunately is using a single enrolled fingerprint until the OEM releases an updated Synaptics driver.

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Answer 2

If you're having trouble adding a second fingerprint in Windows Hello, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check the Sensor: Ensure that the fingerprint sensor is clean and free from any obstructions or dirt that might affect its functionality.
2. Driver Update: Make sure that the driver for your Synaptics FP Sensors is up to date. You can check for updates in Device Manager under Biometric devices.
3. Reinstall the Driver: If the driver is up to date but the issue persists, try uninstalling the driver from Device Manager and then restarting your device. Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver automatically.
4. Verify Biometric Service: Ensure that the biometric service is running. You can check this by opening a command prompt as an administrator and running the command net start wbiosrvc. If it is not running, you can start it using the same command.
5. Reset Windows Hello: Since you've already cleared the fingerprint data in BIOS and reset Windows Hello, make sure to re-enroll your fingerprints properly after performing the above steps.
6. Feedback Hub: If none of the above steps resolve the issue, consider filing a feedback item using the Feedback Hub to report the problem.

These steps should help you troubleshoot the issue with adding a second fingerprint in Windows Hello.