Why Is Apple Watch Not Unlocking Your Mac? Fixes for macOS Sequoia and Sonoma

Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Apple Watch Auto Unlock still works on supported Macs running macOS Sequoia or Sonoma. If your Mac asks for a password after startup, a restart, or logout, that is expected: Apple requires one manual login before Watch unlocking can resume. For other failures, check compatibility and account requirements, then use Apple’s safest reset sequence: turn off Watch unlocking, restart the Mac, turn it back on, and update both macOS and watchOS.

First, check whether your Mac supports Auto Unlock

Apple lists these requirements for unlocking a Mac with any Apple Watch model:

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band -...	$312.55	Buy on Amazon
2		Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Blush Sport Band...	$399.00	Buy on Amazon
3		Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - S/M....	$239.00	Buy on Amazon
4		Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - S/M....	$249.00	Buy on Amazon
5		Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band -...	$399.00	Buy on Amazon

• Apple Watch running watchOS 3 or later
• Mac running macOS High Sierra 10.13 or later
• MacBook Pro introduced in late 2013 or later
• All other Mac models introduced in 2013 or later

For a definitive hardware check, hold Option while opening the Apple menu, choose System Information, select Wi‑Fi in the sidebar, and find Auto Unlock: Supported. If it says unsupported, software resets cannot add the feature. See Apple’s Continuity requirements.

Auto Unlock at the login screen is also separate from using an Apple Watch to approve administrator-password requests. Approval may work even when login unlocking does not.

#1 Best Overall

Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

• A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
• KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
• GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
• SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
• A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.

$312.55

Buy on Amazon

Confirm the required account, security and connection settings

Check every item below before treating the problem as a Sequoia or Sonoma bug:

• The Mac and Watch use the same Apple Account.
• Two-factor authentication is enabled for that account.
• The Watch has a passcode.
• Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on the Mac.
• Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on the Watch.
• The Watch is being worn, unlocked and close to the Mac.
• Screen Sharing and Internet Sharing are turned off while testing.

Apple requires Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth to be on; it does not explicitly require both devices to display the same Wi‑Fi network name. If you use several access points or isolated networks, however, trying both devices on the same known network is a useful community-reported diagnostic, not a formal Apple requirement.

Use the current Sequoia and Sonoma settings path

1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Open Touch ID & Password or Login Password (the label varies by Mac and system version).
3. Find the Apple Watch section and enable the option to use your Watch to unlock the Mac.
4. Enter the Mac administrator password if requested.

Older guides may say System Preferences > Security & Privacy. That is the historical location on earlier macOS releases, not usually the correct Sequoia or Sonoma path. Apple’s current instructions are on its Auto Unlock support page.

Rank #2

Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Blush Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

• A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
• KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
• GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
• SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
• A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.

$399.00

Buy on Amazon

Fixes, in the order to try them

1. Test normal post-restart behavior

If the Mac was just powered on, restarted or logged out, type the account password once. Lock the Mac or put it to sleep, keep the unlocked Watch on your wrist nearby, and wake the Mac. Expecting the Watch to perform that first login is the most common false alarm.

2. Check the Watch itself

Unlock the Watch with its passcode and make sure it has not auto-locked. Keep it close to the Mac. If it appears disconnected, restart it. Restarting the Watch has helped some users after upgrades, but it is a practical community workaround rather than a guaranteed Apple fix.

3. Check Mac connectivity and sharing

Turn on Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth. Temporarily disable Screen Sharing and Internet Sharing; Apple specifically identifies both as blockers. If your network has multiple routers or guest isolation, test with both devices connected in the same ordinary network segment.

Rank #3

Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

• GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
• A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
• KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
• WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
• GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*

$239.00

Buy on Amazon

4. Install available updates

Update macOS in System Settings > General > Software Update. Update watchOS through the Watch app on the paired iPhone, then restart both devices and test again. Apple recommends current software, but available evidence does not establish that a particular Sequoia patch universally fixed Auto Unlock.

5. Reset the Auto Unlock connection

1. In System Settings > Touch ID & Password or Login Password, turn off Apple Watch unlocking.
2. Restart the Mac.
3. Return to the same setting and turn the feature on again.
4. Authenticate with the administrator password if prompted.
5. Wait for the setting to finish enabling or synchronizing.
6. Lock and wake the Mac with the unlocked Watch nearby.

This is Apple’s official reset sequence. After a Sequoia or Sonoma upgrade, some users also report better results after restarting the Watch (and, if necessary, the paired iPhone) before re-enabling the setting. Treat those extra restarts as anecdotal diagnostics.

If the Apple Watch option is missing

A missing control usually points to availability rather than a failed unlock attempt. Work through this list:

Rank #4

Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

• GET SMARTER HEALTH INSIGHTS—Apple Watch SE 3 is an advanced health tracker that helps you better understand your body. The smartwatch sends alerts for an irregular heart rhythm, or an unusually high or low heart rate.* You can view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app,* track your sleep score, and get sleep apnea notifications.*
• A GREAT FITNESS TRACKER—SE 3 can track your workouts in a healthy number of ways—from running and strength training to simply achieving your 10K steps a day. With real-time metrics and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone,* you’ll hit your goals like never before.
• KEEP HELP CLOSE AT HAND—SE 3 is a smartwatch that can detect a hard fall or severe car crash and automatically help connect you to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
• WOMEN’S HEALTH INSIGHTS—SE 3 has advanced sensors that track your wrist temperature while you sleep. With this smartwatch, you can log your periods and symptoms, get period predictions, and get notified of cycle deviations.*
• GREAT BATTERY LIFE AND FASTER CHARGING—Enjoy a smartwatch with all-day, 18-hour battery life* from sunup to sundown. Then charge up to twice as fast as SE 2* and get up to 8 hours of battery in just 15 minutes.*

$249.00

Buy on Amazon

1. Verify Auto Unlock: Supported in System Information.
2. Turn on Mac Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth.
3. Confirm the same Apple Account and two-factor authentication.
4. Set a Watch passcode.
5. Disable Screen Sharing and Internet Sharing.
6. Confirm you are looking under Touch ID & Password or Login Password, not an older menu path.

An organization-managed Mac may also hide or restrict continuity features through policy. If all personal settings are correct but the control remains unavailable, ask the administrator or Apple Support rather than modifying security files.

If it is stuck on “syncing” or says it cannot communicate

First repeat the official off–restart–on sequence. Keep the Watch unlocked and nearby while the setting synchronizes, and verify Bluetooth on both devices. Test another ordinary Wi‑Fi environment if your network uses multiple access points. Community discussions describe stale pairing state, a disconnected Watch and network changes after sleep or restart as possible contributors, but they are not confirmed universal Sequoia causes.

Do not begin by deleting Keychain records or files in ~/Library/Sharing/AutoUnlock. Some users report that as an advanced workaround, but it is unofficial, can remove pairings for other Macs and may create further authentication problems. Back up first and ask Apple Support before considering security-record cleanup.

Best Value

Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

• A FULL-FEATURED HEALTH TRACKER—Apple Watch Series 11 gives you invaluable insights about your body, right from your wrist. Take an ECG anytime* and get alerts for a high and low heart rate or an irregular rhythm*—so you can stay closer to your heart. You can also view your overnight health tracking metrics with the Vitals app* and be notified of possible sleep apnea.*
• KNOW YOUR SLEEP SCORE—With advanced sleep tracking, Series 11 gives you a daily sleep score. It’s an easy way to help measure and understand the quality of your sleep, so you can make it more restorative.
• GET HYPERTENSION NOTIFICATIONS—Did you know that Series 11 can spot signs of chronic high blood pressure? By analyzing how your blood vessels respond to beats of the heart, it can notify you of possible hypertension.*
• SAFETY FEATURES—A smartwatch that puts your safety first. Series 11 can detect a hard fall or severe car crash, automatically help connect you with emergency services, and notify your emergency contacts.* Check In can automatically notify a loved one when you’ve arrived at your destination.
• A POWERFUL FITNESS TRACKER—With advanced metrics and motivating features like Pacer, Heart Rate Zones, training load, and Workout Buddy powered by Apple Intelligence from your nearby iPhone*—Series 11 is made to help everyone stay active, from runners and hikers to strength-training enthusiasts.

$399.00

Buy on Amazon

When a password is still required even though Auto Unlock works

Manual authentication is expected after:

• Mac startup
• Mac restart
• User logout
• The Watch locking itself or being removed from your wrist
• The Watch being too far away or losing Bluetooth connectivity

Auto Unlock is a convenience feature, not a replacement for the Mac password in every security-sensitive state. Touch ID, an external Touch ID keyboard where supported, or the password remain valid alternatives.

Quick decision checklist

1. Enter the password once after startup, restart or logout.
2. Confirm the Mac reports Auto Unlock: Supported.
3. Use the same Apple Account with two-factor authentication.
4. Set a Watch passcode; wear and unlock the Watch.
5. Enable Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth on both devices.
6. Disable Screen Sharing and Internet Sharing.
7. Update macOS and watchOS.
8. Turn Auto Unlock off, restart the Mac, and turn it on again.
9. Restart the Watch and test another network only if the issue persists.
10. Contact Apple Support for persistent communication errors, managed Macs, account problems or suspected hardware faults.

Some users report that Auto Unlock stopped after a Sequoia or Sonoma upgrade, but that does not prove Apple removed the feature or that one patch fixes every case. Verify support and security state first, then use the official reset before considering any destructive workaround or hardware replacement.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 46mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - M/L. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

$312.55

Bestseller No. 2

Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Rose Gold Aluminum Case with Light Blush Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

$399.00

Bestseller No. 3

Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Starlight Aluminum Case with Starlight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

$239.00

Bestseller No. 4

Apple Watch SE 3 [GPS 40mm] Smartwatch with Midnight Aluminum Case with Midnight Sport Band - S/M. Fitness and Sleep Trackers, Heart Rate Monitor, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

$249.00

Bestseller No. 5

Apple Watch Series 11 [GPS 42mm] Smartwatch with Jet Black Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band - S/M. Sleep Score, Fitness Tracker, Health Monitoring, Always-On Display, Water Resistant

$399.00

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.