fprintd is a daemon that manages fingerprints on Linux systems, it is also responsible for providing a D-Bus API to other applications to use the fingerprints, this API is used by various applications such as login screens, password managers, and other applications that need to authenticate the users.
fprintd-delete is a command-line utility that allows you to remove fingerprints from the fprintd database. It’s used to delete a specific fingerprint from the system, which is associated with a particular user and a particular device (such as a fingerprint reader).
If you encounter the below error while running the command fprintd-delete:
fprintd-delete: command not found
you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distribution:
| Distribution | Command |
|---|---|
| Debian | apt-get install fprintd |
| Ubuntu | apt-get install fprintd |
| Arch Linux | pacman -S fprintd |
| Kali Linux | apt-get install fprintd |
| CentOS | yum install fprintd |
| Fedora | dnf install fprintd |
| Raspbian | apt-get install fprintd |
fprintd-delete Command Examples
1. Remove all fingerprints for a specific user:
# fprintd-delete username
2. Remove a specific fingerprints for a specific user:
# fprintd-delete username --finger left-thumb|left-index-finger|left-middle-finger|left-ring-finger|left-little-finger|right-thumb|right-index-finger|right-middle-finger|right-ring-finger|right-little-finger
3. Display help:
# fprintd-delete
Summary
Overall, fprintd-delete is a simple but powerful command-line utility that allows you to remove fingerprints from the fprintd database, making it easy to manage and maintain the fingerprints on your Linux system. It can be useful in cases where a user wants to delete their fingerprints or when an administrator wants to remove fingerprints of a specific user from the system.