fprintd-delete

Remove all fingerprints for a specific user

$ fprintd-delete [username]

$ fprintd-delete [username] [[-f|--finger]] [left-thumb|left-index-finger|left-middle-finger|left-ring-finger|left-little-finger|right-thumb|...]

$ fprintd-delete

fprintd-delete [-h|--help] [-f FINGER|--finger=FINGER] USERNAME [FINGER]

-h, --help
    Display usage summary and exit.

-f FINGER, --finger=FINGER
    Delete only the named finger (overrides positional FINGER argument if provided).

fprintd-delete is a command-line utility for the fprintd fingerprint authentication daemon on Linux. It removes enrolled fingerprints from the database for a specified user, either all fingers or a specific one.

fprintd provides D-Bus-based access to fingerprint readers via libfprint. To delete all fingerprints for a user, invoke fprintd-delete username. For a specific finger, append the finger name: fprintd-delete username left-thumb.

The command requires PolicyKit (polkit) authorization or root privileges. The fprintd service must be active. Finger identifiers use formats like left-thumb, right-index, or device-specific names shown by fprintd-list. Successful deletion confirms via stdout; errors indicate permission issues or non-existent prints.

Primarily used for privacy, troubleshooting mismatched enrollments, or cleaning up after hardware changes.

Requires polkit auth or sudo; fprintd daemon must run. Fails if user/finger not enrolled. Positional FINGER ignored if --finger used.

Standard: left-thumb, left-index, left-middle, left-ring, left-little, right-thumb, right-index, right-middle, right-ring, right-little.
List exact names with fprintd-list USERNAME.

Developed as part of fprint project (libfprint daemon tools) around 2010; matured in Fedora/Arch for PAM integration.

fprintd-enroll(1), fprintd-list(1), fprintd-verify(1), fprintd(8)