Authentication

Touch ID on Mac vs Windows Hello

Both platforms have biometric login, and they integrate with browsers and apps:

Feature	Mac (Touch ID)	Windows (Hello)
Fingerprint login	Yes (Touch ID sensor)	Yes (fingerprint reader)
Face recognition	No (Mac doesn't have IR camera)	Yes (IR camera)
Browser password autofill	Safari, Chrome (with extension)	Edge, Chrome
Passkey support	Yes (Safari, system-wide)	Yes (Edge, system-wide)
sudo in Terminal	sudo with Touch ID (configurable)	N/A

Enabling Touch ID for sudo

Add to /etc/pam.d/sudo_local:

auth       sufficient     pam_tid.so

Now you can approve Terminal sudo commands with your fingerprint instead of typing your password.

Passkeys

Passkeys replace passwords entirely. They sync via iCloud Keychain on Mac/iPhone and via Windows Hello on Windows:

• On Mac: Safari and apps support passkeys natively. Stored in iCloud Keychain.
• On Windows: Edge and Chrome support passkeys via Windows Hello.
• Cross-platform: Some passkey providers (1Password, Bitwarden) sync passkeys across Mac and Windows.

If you need passkeys on both platforms, use 1Password or Bitwarden as your passkey provider rather than platform-specific storage.