6 Things You Can Do With Touch ID on Your Mac (Besides Unlock It)
Credit: Apple
All recent Macs have a cool hardware feature — the addition of Touch ID. Even the iMac can use it now, thanks to Apple's first Magic Keyboard with Touch ID. With it, you can quickly log in to your account without having to enter your password. But there's so much much you can do with that little button that you probably don't know about.
The Touch ID button does more than just unlock your Mac or let you use Apple Pay. You can do other things like control your passwords, manage your apps, and even use your favorite Accessibility features.
Whether you're using your MacBook's integrated Touch ID or the Magic Keyboard's Touch ID, Read On for 6 Things You Can Do With Touch ID on Your Mac (Besides Unlocking It).
Side note: the Touch ID on the Magic Keyboard only works with Apple Silicon Macs.
How to Manage Touch ID on Mac
In case you aren't using Touch ID yet, here's a quick reminder of how to set it up and manage it.
- Click the Apple menu on the top left of your screen.
- Click System Preferences.
- Select Touch ID.
That's it; you'll be able to control everything about the Touch ID from this window, including some of the features we'll talk about in a moment.
Manage Your Applications
You can actually use Touch ID as a way to control and manage apps on your Mac. With Touch ID, you can confirm that you want to delete an app and also confirm that you want to install it on your Mac. This way, you don't have to enter your password every time you install an app, which is especially nice when you get a new Mac.
It's not just about buying and downloading apps; you can also use Touch ID to download books or other media from Apple Books or the iTunes Store, respectively.
Use Touch ID to Control Your Passwords
If you have any passwords stored on your Mac, you can quickly access them with your Touch ID button. Whenever you're going to a website that asks for your credentials — and you already have those login credentials stored — you can place your finger on the Touch ID button, and you'll automatically log in.
You can also use your Touch ID to manage which passwords you have stored in Safari. Just go to Safari and click on the Safari menu at the top. Click Preferences and then select Passwords. You can use your Touch ID to manage all the passwords you've stored.
Moreover, you can also use your Touch ID to access password-protected items, like the private notes you have in your Notes app.
Quickly Reboot And Lock Your Mac
With the Touch ID button, you can give your Mac a quick reboot without any complications at all. Since Apple got rid of the power button, you can basically use the Touch ID as an alternative.
All you need to do is press and hold the Touch ID button until you see the boot-up screen. Your Mac will do the rest.
Likewise, you can also quickly Lock Your Mac with the Touch ID button. To do this, you just need to press your Mac's Touch ID button once, and your Mac will go to its Lock Screen.
Switch Between Accounts In a Flash
If you share your computer with your family or loved ones, you might want to consider having specific accounts for each user. The cool thing, though, is that you can instantly switch between accounts with your Touch ID.
So if someone has their own account on your Mac, you can put your finger on the Touch ID button for a second and then press it. Your Mac will automatically switch to your own profile in a matter of seconds.
Before using this feature, make sure it's available by going to your System Preferences and then Touch ID. Then, tick the checkbox next to Use Touch ID sensor for fast user switching. Also, make sure each person uses a different account and has their own fingerprint added to your Mac.
Trigger VoiceOver
If you need or want to use VoiceOver on your Mac, your Touch ID button makes it easier than you could ever imagine. All you need to do is press and hold the Command key on your keyboard and then press the Touch ID button three times. Remember to do it quickly, or you just end up locking your screen.
VoiceOver will instantly start working, and your Mac will start talking to you. If you turn VoiceOver off, just repeat the same steps mentioned above.
Open Your Mac's Accessibility Shortcuts
On the other hand, if you want to use more Accessibility features that Apple has to offer, you can also use your Touch ID button instead of looking for them on your Mac.
To open the Accessibility shortcuts on your Mac, all you need to do is quickly press the Touch ID button three times. Remember, if you don't do it quick enough, you'll end up locking your Mac.
It may take a bit of practice, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. Afterward, you can choose which shortcuts you want the most by ticking the check box next to them.