How to install Face ID on MacBook (2026 step-by-step)

To install Face ID on a MacBook, use Glance. Apple does not ship a real Face ID on Mac, but the free open-source Glance app uses your built-in FaceTime camera plus a lightweight face-recognition model to give you the same look-at-the-screen-to-unlock experience. This guide is the tight, action-first version: download, install, grant three permissions, enrol your face, done. For the broader "should I?" write-up with security caveats, see the full Glance setup guide.

Before you start, a two-second reality check. This is not the same Face ID Apple ships on iPhone. iPhones use a TrueDepth camera that projects thousands of infrared dots and builds a 3D depth map. MacBook cameras are ordinary 2D webcams. Glance works well as a convenience unlock, but it is not the depth-camera security system Apple built for iPhone. If that matters to you, jump to the security section of the full guide before installing.

What you need before you start

Only three things. A MacBook, iMac or Mac with a built-in FaceTime camera. This covers every MacBook Air and MacBook Pro from the last several years plus most iMacs. Your Mac account password. And Touch ID enrolled if your Mac has it, so the app can encrypt your stored password behind your fingerprint. That last one is technically optional but strongly recommended. Setup will refuse to be fully secure without it.

Step 1: Check your MacBook is compatible

Confirm three things before you download anything. First, that you have a built-in FaceTime camera. Every Apple laptop from the past several years does. Second, that you are running a recent macOS release. The Glance releases page lists the minimum macOS version supported by the current build. Third, that Touch ID is enrolled in System Settings, Touch ID and Password. This is the encryption gate that keeps your stored password safe if the Mac gets stolen.

Step 2: Download the Glance DMG from GitHub

Open github.com/jonnyoo/glance/releases in Safari or Chrome. The most recent release at the top of the page is v1.0.1, published in September 2026, roughly 14 MB. Click Glance.dmg to download. GitHub serves the file directly, no login required. The file lands in your Downloads folder in a few seconds.

If you use a download manager or a browser that renames files, the DMG might arrive with a slightly different filename. That is fine. As long as the extension is .dmg and the file size is around 14 MB you are good to continue.

Step 3: Install Glance to Applications

Double click the downloaded DMG. A Finder window opens showing two icons: the Glance app and a shortcut to your Applications folder. Drag Glance onto the Applications shortcut. Wait a second for the copy to finish, then right click the mounted DMG in Finder (it is the one that looks like a hard drive) and choose Eject. You can also delete the original DMG file from Downloads once the copy is confirmed. Applications now has Glance in it.

Step 4: Open Glance for the first time

Launch Glance from Applications, or press Command Space and type Glance. On a fresh install macOS may refuse to open the app because it is from an unidentified developer or is not notarised by Apple. This is normal for open-source apps distributed outside the App Store.

Bypass it in one of two ways. Either right click Glance in Applications, choose Open, and click Open again in the dialogue. Or open System Settings, go to Privacy and Security, scroll to the security message near the bottom, and click Open Anyway. Either method whitelists the app for the future. You will not see the block again.

Step 5: Grant Camera permission

Glance requests camera access on first launch. Click Allow. This is the only way the app can see your face, and it is the only permission that touches the camera hardware. According to the Glance README, frames are processed entirely in memory and never written to disk, so no images of your face are saved anywhere on the Mac.

You can verify this at any time in System Settings, Privacy and Security, Camera. Glance should appear in the list with a toggle turned on. Toggle it off any time and Glance stops working immediately, which is exactly how permissions should behave.

Step 6: Grant Accessibility permission

This is the second permission and the one to pay attention to. Because macOS does not give third-party apps a way to unlock the login screen directly, Glance types your password on your behalf. That needs Accessibility access.

Open System Settings, click Privacy and Security in the sidebar, then click Accessibility in the main pane. Find Glance in the list and toggle it on. macOS will ask for your Mac password to confirm the change, which is expected. Without this permission the app cannot unlock anything, no matter how well it recognises your face.

General Accessibility hygiene tip: while you are on that screen, look at every other app that has this permission and revoke any you do not use or do not recognise. Accessibility is the most abused permission on macOS, and cleaning it up once a quarter is a good habit.

Step 7: Enrol your face and password

The Glance enrolment wizard runs automatically after permissions are set. You will be asked to look straight at the camera, then slightly to the left, slightly to the right, slightly up and slightly down. The whole face capture takes about twenty seconds. Then the app asks for your Mac password one time.

Behind the scenes, Glance encrypts your face template together with your password and stores the encryption key in the Secure Enclave, protected by Touch ID. That is the important detail. It means an attacker who steals your Mac cannot pull the password back out of storage without also having your fingerprint. Do not skip Touch ID for this reason. If your Mac has it, use it.

For accuracy, enrol in the lighting you actually use. If your desk faces a window during the day, capture there. If you also work at night under a lamp, run enrolment a second time in evening light. Two lighting samples make recognition noticeably more reliable than one.

Step 8: Test the unlock and adjust settings

Lock the Mac with Control Command Q. Wait one second, then look at the camera as if you were checking a notification. Glance should recognise you and type your password in under two seconds. If it fails after two tries, fall back to Touch ID or type your password manually. Do not fight the app. It gets it right most of the time.

Open Glance preferences and tune two things if the default feels off. Sensitivity, which controls how strict the face match has to be. Higher means fewer false positives but more re-tries. And whether Glance should also handle screensaver wake or only the full lock screen. Most people leave both on. If you use an external monitor with the lid closed, test that Glance still triggers with the FaceTime camera visible.

Troubleshooting the common failures

Glance opens but refuses to unlock. Almost always Accessibility permission. Open System Settings, Privacy and Security, Accessibility, and confirm Glance is toggled on. Also check that Camera permission is still on in the Camera pane. macOS occasionally revokes camera permissions after updates.

The DMG will not open or Finder says it is damaged. Re-download it. GitHub sometimes hands you a partial file if the connection drops mid-download. Compare the file size against the release page: the current DMG is 14 MB. Anything much smaller is corrupt.

Face recognition works in daylight but fails at night. Enrol again in evening light. You are effectively giving the model a second training sample. You can also lower the sensitivity setting in Glance preferences by one notch to trade a bit of security margin for more forgiving recognition in low light.

macOS keeps saying the app is from an unidentified developer even after Open Anyway. Reopen System Settings, Privacy and Security, and check that the Open Anyway button was actually clicked (it disappears once used). If you use MDM or corporate device management, your organisation may block unsigned apps entirely. Contact your admin.

How to uninstall Glance if you change your mind

The uninstall is as short as the install. Quit Glance from the menu bar. Drag Glance.app from Applications to the Trash. Empty the Trash. Then optionally open System Settings, Privacy and Security, and toggle Camera and Accessibility permissions off for Glance. The app leaves nothing behind that changes how your Mac boots or accepts passwords. Your Mac account and Touch ID enrolment are untouched.

Frequently asked questions

Can I install Apple's real Face ID on a MacBook?

No. Apple's Face ID needs the TrueDepth camera hardware that ships on iPhone and iPad Pro, and no Mac has that camera in 2026. What you can install is a third-party app like Glance that uses the standard FaceTime camera and a face-recognition model. It is convenience-grade unlock, not the depth-camera security system Apple ships elsewhere.

Do I need to pay for anything?

No. Glance is free and open source. Source code is at github.com/jonnyoo/glance. Download the DMG, drag to Applications, done. No subscription, no in-app purchase. If you want a paid alternative with vendor support, some Mac utility bundles include face unlock, but there is no reason to pay unless you specifically need enterprise support.

How long does the install take?

Five minutes if you already have Touch ID enrolled and know your password. The DMG downloads in seconds, drag-to-Applications is instant, the two permission grants take about a minute each including entering your password, and face enrolment adds another minute. First testing your lock and unlock is another minute.

What if macOS blocks Glance from opening?

On first launch macOS may say the app cannot be opened because the developer is unidentified. Right click Glance in Applications, choose Open, then click Open again in the dialogue. If that does not clear it, open System Settings, Privacy and Security, scroll to the security message near the bottom, and click Open Anyway. This is a standard step for open-source apps distributed outside the App Store and is completely safe for a well-known project.

How do I uninstall if I change my mind?

Quit Glance from the menu bar. Drag Glance.app from Applications to Trash. Empty Trash. Optionally revoke Camera and Accessibility permissions in System Settings, Privacy and Security. Your Mac password and Touch ID enrolment are unaffected. Nothing else needs to be reset.

Related guides

• MacBook Face ID with Glance: Setup, Security & What to Expect: the full write-up with security tradeoffs, what Glance can and cannot defeat, and alternatives worth considering.
• About Shreyas Bagal: who I am and what I actually work on.
• Services: SEO, Meta Ads, LinkedIn and content marketing for Indian small businesses.
• Free website authority checker: another free tool worth knowing about.
• All free tools: the full list of no-signup marketing tools on the site.

Your next step

If the install worked, keep the auto-lock timer short (five minutes or less) and let Glance do the rest. Face unlock only pays off if your Mac locks often. If it did not work, retrace steps 5 and 6. Camera and Accessibility permissions cover most first-time issues. Everything past that is either lighting or a re-enrolment away from working.