Windows hello face used to work now it doesn't

Douglas McCaustland 0 Reputation points
2025-08-28T03:06:39.2333333+00:00

Windows Hello face does not work now and it used to . Same computer with an IR camera.

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Apps
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  2. Eyjey116 390 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-08-28T03:43:01.6266667+00:00

    Hi! My name is Aj and Im an Independent Advisor here to help!

    This usually happens after update, driver issue or a change in camera settings. Kindly try to go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Windows Hello Face and see if it shows any error. Make sure the IR camera driver is up to date: Device Manager > Cameras > Right click > Update driver.

    If that does not help, remove your face data and set it up again.

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  3. Kapil Arya 35,136 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-08-28T10:15:00.78+00:00

    I highly recommend to update IR based webcam driver.

    If that doesn't helps, try removing Windows Hello PIN, and re-setup it followed by re-setup of Windows Hello Face.

    If issue still persists. refer other suggestions in this fix:

    https://www.kapilarya.com/fix-facial-recognition-not-working-in-windows-11-10
    Let us know if this helps!

    Note: Included link in this reply refers to blog post by a trusted Microsoft MVP.

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  4. Haytham-C 1,350 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2025-08-28T10:25:05.21+00:00

    Hello Douglas McCaustland,

    Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A and informed the issues. Based on your description I believed that the biometric verification is not working after an update, here's how to tackle this issue:

    1. Reset the Database:

    • Open Run Dialogue (Windows + X) > Then input services.msc > Enter > Navigate to Windows Biometric Service > Right click > Stop

    2. Delete the Database file:

    • Go to This PC and open Local Disk (C:) > Windows > Systems32 > WinBioDatabase > Delete all the file inside the folder

    3. Restart the database:

    • Open Run Dialogue again and input services.msc > Enter > Windows Biometric Service > Right click > Start
    • Restart your PC

    4. Clear TPM (Last Resort):

    (Disclaimer: This will erase all your keys, passwords stored in TPM which can affect other security feature, be sure to backup all of your keys and passwords before proceeds)

    • Open Run dialogue > input tpm.msc > Enter
    • Click Clear TPM on the right panel and follow the on-screen instruction and your PC will restart
    • After Restart you can go to Sign-in options in Windows settings to reconfigure your PIN
    • Once PIN is set you can setup your Windows Hello Face again

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

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