Troubleshooting Passkey and Biometric Authentication Issues

Introduction

Passkey issues can originate from browser compatibility, device security settings, synchronization, browser profiles, operating system accounts, or enterprise policies. Start with compatibility, identify the matching failure, and reset MFA only if the targeted fixes do not resolve the issue.

Table of contents

• Check passkey compatibility
• Troubleshoot passkey failures
• Reset MFA and create a new passkey
• Contact Cloudbeds Support

Check passkey compatibility

Passkeys rely on a web security standard called WebAuthn (also known as FIDO2). If your device or browser does not fully support this standard, the passkey option will not appear or will fail silently.

Check that your setup meets the following:

To check your Chrome version: open the three-dot menu > Help > About Google Chrome. To check your Edge version: open the three-dot menu > Help and feedback > About Microsoft Edge.

Troubleshoot passkey failures

Find your situation below and follow the corresponding fix.

The passkey option does not appear on the sign-in page

• Confirm you are using a supported browser at the minimum version above
• Confirm you completed the passkey setup on this specific device and browser because passkeys are device-specific unless synced via iCloud Keychain (Apple) or Google Password Manager (Android)
• Try a different supported browser on the same device
• Clear your browser cache and cookies, then try again: [How to Clear Cache and Cookies]
• Disable browser extensions one at a time. Some privacy or ad-blocking extensions interfere with WebAuthn requests

Touch ID or Face ID fails during sign-in or setup

• Confirm Touch ID or Face ID is enabled on your device in System Settings (Mac) or Settings > Face ID & Passcode (iPhone)
• On Mac, check that your browser has permission to use Touch ID. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and check Touch ID access for your browser
• Clean the Touch ID sensor gently if fingerprint recognition is inconsistent
• If Face ID fails repeatedly, try re-enrolling your face in iPhone Settings
• As a fallback, use your device PIN or password when prompted. The passkey will still work

Windows Hello fails during sign-in or setup

• Confirm Windows Hello is set up on your device: go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options
• If using a fingerprint scanner, try re-enrolling your fingerprint in Windows Hello settings
• If Windows Hello PIN is failing, reset the PIN from the same Sign-in options menu
• Confirm your browser has access to Windows Hello. In Chrome or Edge, check that no group policy or enterprise setting is blocking WebAuthn requests. If your device is managed by an IT team, contact them to confirm WebAuthn is permitted
• As a fallback, use your PIN rather than fingerprint

A USB hardware security key is not recognized

• Try a different USB port on the same computer
• Confirm the key is fully inserted before tapping the sensor
• Try the key on a different computer to determine whether the issue is with the key or the port
• On Windows: open Device Manager and check whether the key appears under Human Interface Devices when plugged in. If it does not appear, the USB port or driver may be the issue
• On Mac: open System Information > USB and confirm the key is listed when plugged in
• Confirm your browser supports FIDO2 security keys. Chrome and Edge have the broadest support; Firefox requires WebAuthn to be enabled in about:config
• If using a YubiKey 5 series or newer, confirm you are touching the gold sensor firmly for 1 to 2 seconds when prompted

The passkey stopped working after a device change or reset

Passkeys stored on a device that has been reset, replaced, or wiped are no longer available unless they were synced:

• Apple devices: if you were signed in to iCloud and had iCloud Keychain enabled, your passkey may have synced automatically. Sign in to iCloud on your new device and try signing in. The passkey may already be available.
• Android devices: if you were signed in to your Google account with Google Password Manager active, check Google Password Manager on your new device for the saved passkey.
• Windows devices: passkeys stored in Windows Hello are local to the device and do not sync. If the device was reset or replaced, the passkey is gone and must be set up again.

The passkey fails after a browser or operating system update

• Restart your browser fully after an update and try again
• On Mac, if a macOS update changed Touch ID behaviour, go to System Settings > Touch ID & Password and confirm your fingerprints are still enrolled
• On Windows, if a Windows update reset Windows Hello, re-enrol your fingerprint or PIN in Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options

The passkey was created in another browser profile

If multiple staff share a computer and passkeys were set up without individual browser profiles, one person's passkey may not appear for another.

• Open the browser profile that was active when the passkey was created. This is typically recognizable by name in the profile selector in the top-right of Chrome or Edge
• If you are not sure which profile was used, try switching profiles until the passkey option appears on the Cloudbeds login screen
• Going forward, each staff member should set up and use their own named browser profile. See the "Shared front desk computers" section in [Setting Up Passkeys] for full guidance

The passkey was created in another Windows account

On a shared Windows computer, if the passkey was set up while logged in to a different Windows user account, it will not be accessible from the current account.

• Switch to the Windows user account that was active when the passkey was originally created
• If that account is no longer available, the passkey cannot be recovered. set up a new one under the current account following Setting Up Passkeys
• Going forward, each staff member should use their own Windows user account or their own named Chrome/Edge browser profile

The passkey does not sync across devices

If a passkey works on one computer but not on another, synchronization may not be configured.

• Chrome/Edge browser profiles: the browser profile must be signed in to a Google or Microsoft account with sync enabled. Go to the profile settings and confirm the account is signed in and sync is turned on for passwords and passkeys.
• Apple devices: confirm that iCloud Keychain is enabled on both devices in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Passwords & Keychain
• Android devices: confirm Google Password Manager is enabled and the same Google account is signed in on both devices
• Windows: passkeys stored in Windows Hello are local to the device and do not sync. If you need the passkey on multiple computers, use a browser profile with sync enabled instead

Reset MFA and create a new passkey

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, the most reliable fix is to reset your MFA and register a new passkey from scratch.

Reset your passkey while signed in

1. Log in at signin.cloudbeds.com using your email and password
2. Go to Account > My Profile > Sign-in & security > Two-factor authentication > Manage methods
3. Remove the non-working passkey if it appears in the list
4. Select Add a verification method and follow the passkey setup steps in [Setting Up Passkeys]
5. Note: This section is only available 10 minutes after logging in. If it appears greyed out, wait a few minutes and refresh.
6. If you have lost access to all methods and cannot log in: ask your property owner or a staff member with user-management permissions to perform a full MFA reset from Account > Settings > Users > three-dot menu next to your name > Reset MFA Status. Once reset, log in with your email and password and re-enrol your passkey.

See: Reset Multi-Factor Authentication for full instructions.

Contact Cloudbeds Support

If you have worked through all the steps above and the passkey or biometric authentication is still failing, contact our support team and include:

• Your Cloudbeds account email address
• Your Property ID
• Your device type and operating system version
• Your browser name and version
• A description of exactly when the failure occurs (setup, login prompt, or verification step)
• Any error message shown on screen (screenshot preferred)
• The troubleshooting steps you have already completed

Related articles

After troubleshooting the passkey, use these resources to create a replacement passkey or complete an MFA reset when access cannot be recovered:

• Setting Up Passkeys
• Reset Multi-Factor Authentication