I have two MacBooks & I use my fingerprint to wake from sleep, etc.
Periodically, they each ask me to type in the password.
Can I switch that off?
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 15.5
del.frost wrote:
I have two MacBooks & I use my fingerprint to wake from sleep, etc.
Periodically, they each ask me to type in the password.
Can I switch that off?
there are a few caveats
There are a few instances where Touch ID will not be accepted by macOS:
• If you restarted your Mac, or if you're not logged into your user account.
• If you have not unlocked your Mac for 48 hours.
• If you are trying to unlock Security & Privacy
• If you are trying to unlock Users & Groups Settings (when FileVault is on)
• If 5 wrong fingerprint attempts
Use Touch ID on Mac
Use Touch ID on Mac - Apple Support
del.frost wrote:
I have two MacBooks & I use my fingerprint to wake from sleep, etc.
Periodically, they each ask me to type in the password.
Can I switch that off?
there are a few caveats
There are a few instances where Touch ID will not be accepted by macOS:
• If you restarted your Mac, or if you're not logged into your user account.
• If you have not unlocked your Mac for 48 hours.
• If you are trying to unlock Security & Privacy
• If you are trying to unlock Users & Groups Settings (when FileVault is on)
• If 5 wrong fingerprint attempts
Use Touch ID on Mac
Use Touch ID on Mac - Apple Support
If it were me I’d reset Touch ID and reestablish my fingerprints and see if the problem comes back. It certainly sounds like Touch ID is failing to recognize your biometric at times. Could something have changed in the makeup of your finger print. Just a thought.
del.frost wrote:
Can I switch that off?
The short answer is no, you can't turn that off.
Can’t you set the screensaver pref of how long to go before asking for a PW?
What you describe suggests that your system may have restarted due to a power outage, or some other issue.
If your mac was serving some media otherwise, it would not have stopped to ask for your password.
del.frost wrote:
It's my computer. Why can't I do what I want with it (following a few specific warnings & choices, to protect Apple against any negligence on my part)?
You own the hardware. You do not own the operating system. This is the choice Apple has made (possibly because they are protecting you from yourself, possibly because they are protecting them selves from liability, possibly other reasons).
You can let Apple know your thoughts on the matter here:
The other day I was driving home & I couldn't get my music to play (using Plexamp on my phone to access an external hard drive connected to my MacBook Pro at home).
If you're going to be away from home, make sure that you have music loaded onto your phone or that you have access to a streaming service.
neuroanatomist wrote:
leroydouglas wrote:
• If you have not unlocked your Mac for 48 hours.
Are you sure about that one? The kb article you link states, "...users must re-enter their password every 48 hours ...," which is not the same as not unlocking the Mac. Personally, I do see a periodic requirement to enter my password on both my MBPs (Apple Watch and Touch ID won't suffice) even though I don't go more than ~12 hours without using them. So I suspect the 48 hour requirement is clock-driven, not tied to usage.
I am not sure about anything.
I am simply referencing the printed documentation Apple® has publish in the Help Topic/Knowledge base /Support articles following the links above...Use Touch ID on Mac - Apple Support
ref: If Touch ID isn't working on Mac - Apple Support
If you think this is incorrect/ needs updating or some refinement... I would encourage you to contact Apple Support or run it up the chain of command for their review.
It's my computer. Why can't I do what I want with it (following a few specific warnings & choices, to protect Apple against any negligence on my part)?
The other day I was driving home & I couldn't get my music to play (using Plexamp on my phone to access an external hard drive connected to my MacBook Pro at home).
Turns out the Mac was asking for my signature. As soon as I got home & typed it in, the music continued. Can you imagine if it had done that at the beggining of a long holiday? Obviously I can have the contingency of a few actual music files on my phone, but with only a 500GB phone & an 18TB external hard drive which is nearly full, there's no real comparison to the choice I can have, music-wise.
Is there any way of knowing when it's going to ask for my signature, or any way of signing in to my Mac remotely to unlock it & allow me to do the things I'd like to do with my own computer that I actually own. :)
[Edited by Moderator]
No. It isn't. Both of my laptops periodically ask me to type in the password to unlock the screensaver, rather than accepting the fingerprint. Apologies if I wasn't sufficiently clear in my initial statement.
I would love to make it so that this never happens but it would seem that is not possible unless I switch off the screensaver needing to be unlocked, which would obviously mean that my macbook would be less secure.
leroydouglas wrote:
• If you have not unlocked your Mac for 48 hours.
Are you sure about that one? The kb article you link states, "...users must re-enter their password every 48 hours ...," which is not the same as not unlocking the Mac. Personally, I do see a periodic requirement to enter my password on both my MBPs (Apple Watch and Touch ID won't suffice) even though I don't go more than ~12 hours without using them. So I suspect the 48 hour requirement is clock-driven, not tied to usage.
Not as far as I'm aware but I'll look into it. Thanks.
Just to clarify... Yes you can set the time after screensaver activation that it requires a password but I like the password to become active immediately, because that means my stuff is secure immediately.
My issue is that I exit the screensaver with a fingerprint but, every few days, I will be asked to enter the password & it is that secondary level of security that I'm wanting to disable.
My set-up is built around the fact that:
a) most streaming services do not contain much, if any, of the music choices I have in my collection
b) if I can have a set-up that allows me to listen to anything from my music collection (23,000+ albums) on an external hard drive at home, via Plexamp for free, why would I pay for a streaming service?
c) My phone can only hold 500gb of music. The external hard drive is 18tb.
Great suggestions from all who have replied & I thank you all for that but the reality is that my current set-up is by far the best I've managed to achieve in all my years of reaching for "my entire record collection available to me from anywhere at any time".
I think that figuring how to enter my password when requested from anywhere at any time, probably from my phone, is the next step.
del.frost wrote:
My set-up is built around the fact that:
b) if I can have a set-up that allows me to listen to anything from my music collection (23,000+ albums) on an external hard drive at home, via Plexamp for free, why would I pay for a streaming service?
Because accessing the drive at home is problematic?
c) My phone can only hold 500gb of music. The external hard drive is 18tb.
Ah, you kids today..... being able to have "only" 500gb of music with you at a time. Thanks for humor of the day.
If what you're doing isn't working, you may need to try something else, even if it isn't exactly what you would prefer.
Can I stop my MacBooks from periodically asking to type the passwords?
