Lock Your Aadhaar Biometrics in Two Minutes

You have given your fingerprint at a bank, a SIM shop and a ration counter.

Each time, it was checked against your Aadhaar.

Now imagine someone else using your fingerprint the same way, without you there.

There is a simple setting that stops it.

What does locking my biometrics do?

It switches off fingerprint and iris checks for your Aadhaar.

While it is locked, any attempt to verify you with a fingerprint or eye scan simply fails.

That includes a cloned fingerprint, or one lifted from a document you signed.

No.

OTP verification keeps working normally.

So online KYC, tax filing and most app sign-ups carry on as before.

You only need to unlock when you genuinely have to give a fingerprint, like at a bank counter or for a new SIM.

You need the mobile number linked to your Aadhaar, because every step sends an OTP.

On a computer or phone browser:

You can also do it in the official Aadhaar app, under its biometric settings.

You will get a confirmation message once it is locked.

Open the same page and choose unlock.

A temporary unlock is the sensible option.

It opens for a short while, then locks again by itself.

So unlock just before you reach the counter, not the night before.

No, and the difference matters.

There is a separate, stricter option that locks your Aadhaar number itself, including OTP checks.

That one is meant for when your Aadhaar is seriously misused.

For everyday protection, the biometric lock is the one you want.

Only uidai.gov.in and myaadhaar.uidai.gov.in, or the official app.

Plenty of lookalike sites copy the design.

Never enter your Aadhaar OTP on a link someone sent you.