Use Touch ID on your Mac

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With Touch ID on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, you can quickly unlock your Mac and make purchases using your Apple ID and Apple Pay — all with your fingerprint.


Get started

Lift the lid of your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air to turn it on, or press Touch ID. Every time you start up, restart, or log out, you need to type your password to log in to your user account. After setting up Touch ID, as long as you're logged in, you can use your fingerprint instead of typing when you're asked for your password.

With Touch ID, you can also use your fingerprint to make purchases from the App Store, Apple Books Store, and iTunes Store, as well as many of your favorite websites using Apple Pay.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

On MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar, the Touch ID button is on the right side of the Touch Bar at the top of the keyboard.


MacBook Pro 16" (2019)

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MacBook Pro 15" (2017)

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MacBook Air

On MacBook Air models introduced in 2018 and later, the Touch ID button is on the right side of the function keys.


MacBook Air (2018)

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How to set up Touch ID

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Follow these steps to set up Touch ID:

  1. Make sure that your finger is clean and dry.

  2. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences.

  3. Click Touch ID.

  4. Click the plus sign  to add a fingerprint, then type your user account password when prompted. Follow the onscreen instructions that follow.

  5. Use the checkboxes to select the Touch ID features that you want to use on your Mac.

Tips for adding fingerprints:

  • Place your finger on the Touch ID button — but don’t press. Hold it there until you're asked to lift your finger.

  • Lift and rest your finger slowly, making small adjustments to the position of your finger each time.

You can also delete fingerprints:

  1. Hover the pointer over a fingerprint. A delete button  appears.

  2. Click the delete button, then enter your password to remove the fingerprint.

Use Touch ID to unlock your Mac

After you set up Touch ID, you can use it to unlock your Mac. Wake up your Mac by opening the lid, pressing a key, or tapping the trackpad. Then place your finger lightly on Touch ID to log in. 

You must type your password to log in after you start up, restart, or log out of your Mac. When you're logged in, you can quickly authenticate with Touch ID whenever you're asked for your password.

You can also use Touch ID to unlock these features on your Mac:

  • Password-protected Notes

  • The Passwords section in Safari preferences

  • System Preferences 
    If you have FileVault turned on, you must type your password to unlock the Security & Privacy pane and the Users & Groups pane.

If multiple users set up Touch ID and log in to the same Mac, they can use Touch ID to switch accounts. Just press Touch ID, and your Mac switches to the logged-in user account associated with the fingerprint.




Force Restart iPhone

Force restart an iPhone with Face ID, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus

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  1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.

  2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.

  3. Press and hold the side button.

  4. When the Apple logo appears, release the button.

Note: If iPhone still doesn’t turn on, or if it gets stuck during start up, see the Apple Support article If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won’t turn on or is frozen.

Force restart iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus

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  1. Press and hold both the volume down button and the Sleep/Wake button.

  2. When the Apple logo appears, release both buttons.

Note: If iPhone still doesn’t turn on, or if it gets stuck during start up, see the Apple Support article If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won’t turn on or is frozen.

Force restart iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, or iPhone SE (1st generation)

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  1. Press and hold both the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button.

  2. When the Apple logo appears, release both buttons.

Note: If iPhone still doesn’t turn on, or if it gets stuck during start up, see the Apple Support article If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won’t turn on or is frozen.

iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch camera issues

If the camera or flash on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch isn't working

If your photos are blurry or the camera screen is black, you can test the camera or flash on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

If the camera isn't working

  1. Remove any case or film that might block the camera. A metallic or magnetic case or camera attachment might interfere with the camera on your device.

  2. Test the camera by trying to take a photo. 

  3. If the photo is blurry, clean the front and back camera lenses with a microfiber cloth. If you see dirt or debris inside the lens or if the camera lens appears to be misaligned or blocked, contact Apple Support for help with your iPhoneiPad, or iPod touch.

  4. Restart your iPhoneiPad, or iPod touch

  5. Test the camera again by taking a photo. If your device has a front and rear camera, check if one or both isn’t working. To switch cameras, tap the rotate button .

If the flash isn't working

  1. Remove any case or film that might block the flash.

  2. Test the LED flash by trying the flashlight in Control Center. On an iPhone X or later or an iPad, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen. On an iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom edge of any screen.

  3. Tap the Flashlight button .

  4. If the LED flash doesn't work as a flashlight, contact Apple Support for help with your iPhoneiPad, or iPod touch.

  5. If the flash works only sometimes, open the Camera app and tap the flash button  to choose a different setting.