Firefox extension version 2025.12.2
When I choose to unlock with biometrics in the settings, it says “Awaiting confirmation from desktop”. and then nothing happens. I have the bitwarden app set to integrate with browser. And the app opens with biometrics, Windows Hello.
Is this a bug?
Hello @crabby and welcome back 
- Are you setting this up now, or it was working before and now isn’t?
- Can you unlock the desktop app with Biometrics?
- Check the Bitwarden extension to see if it has all these permissions; the last one (which is toggleable) is the important one.
- If you already have all those permissions enabled but it is not working, try uninstalling the extension, exiting the browser completely (ensuring no background processes are running), and then reinstalling and reconfiguring while the desktop app is unlocked.
PS: The Firefox extension is currently only up to v2025.12.1. I edited your tags and title.
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That is a good point that I didn’t have on my radar until now… on the other hand, I just tested it without that permission – and in that case, Firefox should ask for it when you try to activate biometrics in the BW extension:
@crabby If it still doesn’t work, you should also have a look into this post and see if adding that file (and in some cases: also the folder) also solves your issue: MacOS Firefox bitwarden extension rejects Touch ID - #14 by Nail1684
PS: Ah, and what is your BW desktop app version?
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I pretty much assume that if they didn’t have the permission after trying to configure biometrics, it could mean: 1) they missed the popup, or 2) for some unknown reason, the popup didn’t show; hence the permission check.
Indeed, it may be easy to miss, as it appeared in my case in the background, while the BW extension window was still open…
First off, there was no popup, so please don’t assume. I cleared all windows from my desktop prior to trying to make sure nothing was hidden. The “Exchange messages…” toggle is on.
Desktop version is 2026.1.0
I reinstalled the extension. Now it is working, but only in this order of steps: open the desktop client first, unlock with biometrics, then open firefox and at that point I can unlock the extension with biometrics. Otherwise the unlock with biometrics button is greyed out.
Is that how it is supposed to work?
On my mac, I don’t need the desktop client open, just click on the extension in safari, and use my finger to unlock.
Seems to match the steps outlined in the documentation.
Yeah, the desktop app has to “run” before you even open the browser.
As I tested this recently on Windows 11…:
- when you uncheck “Require master password or PIN on app restart” in the desktop app, then the desktop app has to “run” only (i.e. unlocking is not even necessary)
- when you check “Require master password or PIN on app restart” in the desktop app, then the desktop app has not only to “run”, but must be unlocked once
If the desktop app is running in the background, you might have unchecked “Require master password or PIN on app restart” there. (?)
Thanks for checking through the windows requirements. Seems pretty convoluted, but I guess I can set bitwarden to open when I start windows.
And on the Mac, I just checked. Made sure the app wasn’t running, even in the background. only needed to click the unlock with biometrics button on the extension, way easier.
I think this recommendation @grb came up with first, makes a lot of sense: enable those first five settings in the desktop app:
That includes the automatic start on the OS start. (depending on when it loads, you still might have to wait a few seconds with starting the browser… or manipulate the startup order)
Hm, interesting. – I don’t know the details for Mac here, but the Safari extension is bundled with the MacOS desktop app – maybe that is the reason that the Safari extension is somewhat more integrated into the system (and has access to biometrics)?! (only a speculation)
I’ve been getting this issue too but I finally found the bit that I had been skipping over - tl;dr - biometrics was not enabled in the desktop app for me.
It looks like to make the browser extensions work with biometrics on Windows, you also have to enable biometrics on the desktop app. Having all the firefox permissions enabled, the app running and logged in, and unlocked, and with browser integration enabled is still not enough. As soon as i enabled biometrics in the app here in the desktop app preferences…
…and went through a biometric prompt (in my case a fingerprint verification on my laptop) i was then able to check the box in the firefox extension for biometrics. It finally prompted for another biometric verification and after that it finally stuck!
@Neron5569 does actually already mention this, although it might be easy to miss. Step 2 in his response - “Can you unlock the desktop app with Biometrics?”
I suppose this makes sense since the extension is doing the api call via the desktop app, and the desktop app probably can’t actually do the api call without having the setting enabled. At the same time I think it should be possible to code the desktop app so the api call can at least be passed through without needing to actually have biometrics enabled in it. I mean some people might want biometrics only for the browser wouldn’t they? I did.
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I have my computer set to auto-start Bitwarden. My web browser is not set to autorun and Biometrics generally behave.
Yesterday after a surprise power outage, my Windows computer auto-started all the apps it had running immediately prior. I then found that biometric login did not work in the Chrome extension, even though it was working on the desktop app. Restarting the browser fixed it.
What I believe happened is that since my computer auto-started Chrome and Bitwarden Desktop at the same time, the extension was checking for the presence of the desktop app before the app was ready.
There was a report on Reddit that a user using Edge had to turn both “Startup Boost” and the desktop search widget off to remove the autorun entry for Edge, ensuring that Edge would start AFTER the desktop app.