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Windows 10: Resetting the Windows Hello Biometrics

Summary: The following article provides information about how to reset Windows Hello. These steps are required if the options gray out after upgrading your Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on a Dell laptop or desktop. ...

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Instructions

Table of Contents:

  1. Windows Hello options are unavailable after upgrading the TPM
  2. How to reset Windows Hello
  3. Other useful Windows Hello Articles

Windows Hello options are unavailable after upgrading the TPM

Have you upgraded the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on your Dell laptop or desktop? You cannot run Windows Hello through setup?

The next section in this article will take you through some steps to resolve this.

If you are having another issue with Windows Hello on a Dell laptop or desktop, then check out the articles in the third section.

Check out the article below for more information about Windows Hello: What is Windows Hello?

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How to reset Windows Hello

Follow these steps to reset the windows Hello biometrics on your Dell laptop or desktop:

Note: Be aware, these steps reset Windows Hello for every user who is registered on the laptop or desktop.

  1. Open the Services Panel and Stop the biometric service:

    1. Press the Win + R keys together to open a Run dialog box.

    2. Type services.msc.

    3. Select Windows Biometric Service from the left-hand side column.

    4. Right-click it and select Stop from the list that appears.

  2. Backup the old database:

    1. Open Windows Explorer.

    2. Go to C:\Windows\System32\WinBioDatabase.

    3. Copy and paste the .dat files into a new folder that you have created.

  3. Delete the old database:

    1. Open Windows Explorer.

    2. Go to C:\Windows\System32\WinBioDatabase.

    3. Delete the .dat files.

  4. Open the Services Panel and Start the biometric service:

    1. Press the Win + R keys together to open a Run dialog box.

    2. Type services.msc.

    3. Select Windows Biometric Service from the left-hand side column.

    4. Right-click it and select Start from the list that appears.

  5. Register your Biometrics again:

    1. Go to Account Settings.

    2. At the Sign-in options, go through the registration process to re-register your biometrics.

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Other useful Windows Hello Articles

If you are experiencing another issue with Window's Hello Biometrics, then check out the following articles from Dell:

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Additional Information

Recommended Articles

Here are some recommended articles related to this topic that might be of interest to you.

Affected Products

G Series, Alienware, Inspiron, Latitude, Vostro, XPS
Article Properties
Article Number: 000145172
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 31 Jan 2024
Version:  7
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