In regedit the two keys exist :
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mozilla\NativeMessagingHosts\com.8bit.bitwarden
with value : C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Bitwarden\browsers\firefox.json
and
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.8bit.bitwarden
with value : C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Bitwarden\browsers\chrome.json
but in C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Bitwarden\browsers\
chrome.json is missing.
2 Likes
In regedit I removed the google key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.8bit.bitwarden
since the json file was missing.
I restarted the computer, reinstalled bitwarden version 2022.5.1, cleared âwindows helloâ and âbrowser integrationâ options, and re-enabled them right away.
I then enabled biometric unlocking in both browsers (google and firefox) and everything works fine.
I restarted the bitwarden application which automatically installed version 2022.6.1 and everything is still fine.
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Thank you! After digging online for days a variation of your solution got it to work for me.
For everyone struggling with enabling biometrics for Bitwarden in your browser, hereâs how I did it (all credit to @mdeherder):
- Installed Bitwarden (current version 2022.6.1)
- Logged into Bitwarden
- Enabled Biometrics (Windows Hello)
- Enabled Browser integration
- Installed the Browser extension (in my case Firefox, but it also worked on Edge and Chrome)
- Logged into the browser extension
- Windows Key + R opens the ârunâ window
- enter âregeditâ (without ") and hit enter
- Navigate to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mozilla\NativeMessagingHosts\ - For me, the folder " com.8bit.bitwarden" was missing
- Right click on âNativeMessagingHostsâ â New â Key"
- Name the folder âcom.8bit.bitwardenâ (without ")
- In this folder there is a âdefaultâ entry, double click
- In the value field, enter âC:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Bitwarden\browsers\firefox.jsonâ (without ")
- Confirm, close the registry editor
- Now try enabling biometrics in your browser again, it should work (Click allow on the browser prompt)
For me it seems the problem is Bitwarden (the extension) or that the browser would not create the necessary registry entry.
For Chrome / Edge / whatever users:
This should be applicable for you as well. Just navigate to your browsers registry entry where you can also find the folder NativeMessagingHosts and create the same entry, just with a different value, eg âC:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Bitwarden\browsers\chrome.jsonâ for Google Chrome
You can also use âC:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Bitwarden\browsersâ to check if thereâs a .json file for your preferred browser in that folder. For me, everything was there. If itâs missing, thatâs a different issueâŚ
Hope this helps.
8 Likes
In my case the chrome.json file isnât present in the folder. Iâve done a clean installation of browser/desktop app and chrome extenstion but no chrome.json file presen instead there is a firefox.json file and Iâve never install firefox in my browserâŚ
Anyone can help me?
See my answer above. I was in the same situation.
Is this problem still active with the developers? I still have the problem with both Chrome and Edge browsers. Windows 11 (all current updates), current Bitwarden desktop app (2022.6.2) and latest browser extensions. The registry hacks discussed here havenât helped me.
Yes, thanks for your patience, the fix is still incoming.
For Windows users try this:
After enabling âBrowser integrationâ in the desktop app, leave that same desktop app open and enable âunlock with biometricsâ in all your browsersâ apps.
Worked for me on Windows 11! 
1 Like
many thanks mate, that did the trick
was about to give up on this ever working
This works for me in Windows 10/Firefox. Although thereâs a typo in your keyname; the key should be com.8bit.bitwarden. Also in my case, the Mozilla registry directory was under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Thanks @malmagel nice guide!
But it didnât helped me at all.
Twicely checked Mozilla & Chrome registry entries "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mozilla\NativeMessagingHosts" and configuration files in the "C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Bitwarden\browsers"
Last versions updated for Bitwarden Desktop and Extensions,
But still receive a message when I press in extension settings - âUnlock with biometricsâ :
Any idea or any help will be appreciated , cause Iâm stuck with this issue for a long time.
1 Like
@mraxilus
So You key located here, right ?
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Mozilla\NativeMessagingHosts\
This location require administrative privileges for amends.
Perhaps it can helps, Iâm curious , this is the last hope.
Put a key to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Mozilla\NativeMessagingHosts" doesnât helped me at all.
Hi @romapop, welcome to the community!
Here is some additional troubleshooting to try:
For Windows, you may need to install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable before Windows Hello can be turned on in Desktop Preferences: Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads | Microsoft Learn
To troubleshoot this, we recommend uninstalling the Bitwarden desktop application and remove any leftover data: https://bitwarden.com/help/article/data-storage/#on-your-local-machine
After that, follow these steps and let me know the results:
Install the Bitwarden desktop application from this link: https://vault.bitwarden.com/download/?app=desktop&platform=windows (itâs best to install the .exe from here, as there is limited support from the Windows Store application).
In your Bitwarden Desktop app, navigate to Settings (on Windows, File â Settings).
Scroll down to the Options section, and check the Allow browser integration box.
In your Browser, navigate to the Extensions manager (e.g. chrome://extensions or edge://extensions), open Bitwarden, and toggle the Allow access to file URLs option.
In your Browser Extension, open the Settings tab.
Scroll down to the Security section and check the Unlock with biometrics box. You should be prompted by your Desktop app to input your biometric. Doing so will complete the initial setup procedure.
After completing that process, you should be able to unlock the browser extension with biometrics.
Additional Firefox troubleshooting
For the Firefox extension, youâll want to make sure that the âNative Messagingâ permission is enabled. It is an optional permission; however, it is required to function on Firefox:
Other users have also reported that disabling the âRun in Private Windowsâ function from the browser allowed it to connect properly on the next attempt.
@sj-bitwarden Thanks for trying to help!
But it didnât helped at all. Iâm still not able to use biometrics.
I was reinstalled everything, desktop and extensions for firefox and chrome with no success at all.
Currently in the Firefox I receive a message âAwaiting confirmation from desktopâ with no any invites from desktop application.
In the Chrome I have still a message âBrowser integration is not set upâ .
Iâm having this problem on Windows 10 with the MS Edge Chromium and Vivaldi extensions. The browser extensions were working OK, but the problem started after I cleared the browser internet caches, cookies, & saved passwords (I donât use the browser passwords but occasionally I hit the âSaveâ button by mistake).
The desktop app is up to date and has âUnlock with Windows Helloâ and âAllow browser integrationâ set (it hasnât been changed since the integration was working).
I couldnât get the extension integrations to work, so I reinstalled them, but they still wonât integrate. When I click the âUnlock with biometricsâ option, the âAwaiting confirmation from the desktopâ message appears, then the Windows security âVerify for Bitwardenâ popup appears asking for my Windows PIN (as expected on this PC which doesnât have a camera or fingerprint reader), I put in the pin and focus returns to the extension which displays âUnable to enable biometrics, action was cancelled by desktop applicationâ.
I could set the âUnlock with PINâ option instead, but the Windows Hello biometrics option was working OK previously, and I use this setting on my laptops.
@Dave - why are you trying to enable biometrics if your PC doesnât support them?
You will have to use a PIN on your PC and then enable biometrics on your laptop. The settings are device independent.
As I said, the biometrics option has always worked and was working fine until this morning, when I cleared the browser caches, etc. Windows uses the Windows security popup asking for the Windows PIN as the biometrics validation in the absence of true biometrics.
As I also said, Iâm aware that I can use the Bitwarden PIN option, but I prefer to have the Windows Hello login across all machines, and it also means I donât have to keep the Windows PIN and Bitwarden PIN in sync or remember two PINS.
If there has been a change in the browser extensions recently that disables that feature, thatâs OK, but otherwise, it looks like a problem.
Ah, now I understand what you mean. You were unlocking with Windows Hello PIN, which is the option you must enable in the Desktop App. But the option in the browser extension only says Unlock with Biometrics, even though that also includes Windows Hello on Windows PCs.
Anyways, I just tried it on my Windows box using Firefox and the latest BW extension, and it seemed to work fine for me. You might try 'refreshing everything by disabling Unlock with Biometrics in the extension, then the desktop app, then re-enabling them in the reverse order (i.e., desktop app then browser extension).
If that doesnât work, I would reach out to Bitwarden support here: