Re-enabling the fingerprint scanner

Hi everybody,

My GF has a brand new Win 11 23H2 laptop (Asus Zenbook Flip 14 OLED), which I have just ended up configuring (apps, backups from her own laptop...). It all works really well.

My GF requested me to debloat her Win 11. So I used these two different debloater apps, with very light debloating (mostly telemetry).

The debloating worked very well, and my GF is very happy because we got rid of all the ads that were distracting her. That was really important for her.

But to my surprise, the fingerprint scanner doesn't work anymore. The option doesn't appear anymore on the logon screen.
I suppose this is a side effect of the debloating. Probably Windows Hello requires some connection to Microsoft that was disabled by one of the debloaters? AFAIK none of them specifically mentioned "Windows Hello" among their numerous options, so I couldn't know that Windows Hello would be disabled as a side effect.

Anyway, my GF doesn't mind, but I personally think it's a pity, having a fingerprint scanner which you have paid for, and being unable to use it.

Win 11 settings display an error message, well, two in a row:
- " This option is currently unavailable."
- "An error occurred. Try again later."



However the PIN code (which is part of Windows Hello too) works perfectly and is used by default on the logon screen.

Is there a way to get that fingerprint scanner back, without having to reinstall Win 11, please?

For the record I have already tried this hack (with a reboot of course), without success.

Thanks in advance for your help!

I have just remembered something important that could maybe be the cause of the problem!

We have disabled the initially created Microsoft account, and we have created a local admin account instead. Once the local admin account was up and running, we just deleted the initial Microsoft account.

Could it be that because we now have only a local admin account, the fingerprint scanner is forcibly disabled? Would it require a Microsoft account to work?

Just a thought (its usually something simple)
In the "Services" for this feature (biometrics), has it been altered i.e. Manual or Stopped etc.
Try these ---- Have the drivers been corrupted or removed (try reinstalling again if not sure).

You're correct.

This is called out in Windows 11 Debloater's internal files.

I'll politely step aside at this point, as I don't use the "Finger Print" option to access Windows.

Although, I will say that I have been a little hasty in the past when trying out some of these new Bloatware apps
and if you don't take note of what they/you are disabling it can be a nightmare - as for Jose comment "my GF doesn't mind"!
I guess the same may have happened too him as well.

As for for deleting/creating another account, especially a Local Acc' - one would expect the security features of Windows to verify the authenticity of the account holder e.g using a biometric hand shake! A Local account would not! There for establishing a new Handshake (login to Microsoft) would probably allow for this feature to be identified as an authentic Windows connection by the licensed/registered copy owner providing the connection was not broken!