{"id":8894,"date":"2024-05-01T15:04:21","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T19:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/?p=10417"},"modified":"2024-05-01T18:02:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T22:02:09","slug":"apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple\u2019s iCloud Keychain Password Management Is All Many People Need"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Apple\u2019s iCloud Keychain Password Management Is All Many People Need<\/h2>\n<p>We constantly recommend using a password manager like <a href=\"https:\/\/1password.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1Password<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/bitwarden.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BitWarden<\/a>, or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dashlane.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dashlane<\/a>. But many people resist committing to yet another app or paying for yet another service. Isn\u2019t Apple\u2019s built-in iCloud Keychain password management good enough?<\/p>\n<p>The answer now is yes, thanks to two recent changes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In iOS 17.3, Apple added <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT212510\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stolen Device Protection<\/a>, which leverages biometric authentication\u2014Face ID or Touch ID\u2014to protect users against thieves who would surreptitiously learn someone\u2019s passcode, steal their iPhone, and then take over their digital lives. One of the worst aspects of that attack was that the iPhone passcode was sufficient to access the user\u2019s stored passwords, so the thief could get into everything.<\/li>\n<li>Until mid-2023, Apple\u2019s built-in password management worked only in Safari, which was problematic for users who rely on other browsers. Then Apple updated its <a href=\"https:\/\/chromewebstore.google.com\/detail\/icloud-passwords\/pejdijmoenmkgeppbflobdenhhabjlaj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iCloud Passwords<\/a> extension for Google Chrome to work not just in Windows, but also in Mac browsers based on Google Chrome running in macOS 14 Sonoma. There\u2019s also now an <a href=\"https:\/\/addons.mozilla.org\/en-US\/firefox\/addon\/icloud-passwords\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iCloud Passwords<\/a> add-on for Firefox.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you aren\u2019t yet using a password manager, try iCloud Keychain.<\/p>\n<h3>Passwords Basics<\/h3>\n<p>Apple integrated iCloud Keychain into macOS, iOS, and iPadOS at a low level, so you mostly interact with your passwords in Safari. But first, make sure to enable <a href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/109016\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iCloud Keychain<\/a> so your passwords sync between your devices. On the Mac, you do that in System Settings &gt; <i>Your Name<\/i> &gt; iCloud &gt; Passwords &amp; Keychain. On an iPhone or iPad, it\u2019s in Settings &gt; <i>Your Name<\/i> &gt; iCloud &gt; Passwords and Keychain.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re using a browser other than Safari, install the iCloud Passwords extension or add-on and activate it by clicking it in the toolbar and entering the verification code when prompted.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10424\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"762\" height=\"216\" \/><\/p>\n<p>When it comes to website accounts, there are two main actions: creating a login and logging in to a site:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Create a new login:<\/b> When you need to create an account on a new website, after you enter whatever it wants for email or username, Safari creates a strong password for you. Unfortunately, the iCloud Passwords extension or add-on on the Mac can\u2019t generate passwords\u2014you can either create a strong password manually or switch to Safari temporarily to let it create one. When you submit your credentials, you\u2019ll be prompted to save them.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10419 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-1.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-5.png 980w, https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-6.png 480w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"607\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Autofill an existing login:<\/b> The next time you want to log in to a site for which you\u2019ve saved credentials, Safari or your other browser on the Mac displays a pop-up with logins matching the domain of the site you\u2019re on. On the iPhone or iPad, you might get an alert at the bottom of the screen or have to pick a choice in the QuickType bar above the keyboard.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-10421 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-2.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-7.png 980w, https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-8.png 480w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"647\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For basic usage, that\u2019s it! However, iCloud Keychain can make mistakes. The site shown above asks for both an email address and a username and wants the email address for logging in, but iCloud Keychain remembered the username instead. Happily, Apple makes it easy to fix such unusual missteps. On the Mac, open System Settings &gt; Passwords, or on the iPhone or iPad, open Settings &gt; Passwords. Here\u2019s where you find and edit your saved logins.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-10422\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-3.png\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-9.png 980w, https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-10.png 480w\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"668\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Open the desired login by double-clicking it on the Mac or tapping it on the iPhone or iPad, then click or tap Edit and make any desired changes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-10420\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-4.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"779\" height=\"634\" \/><\/p>\n<p>iCloud Keychain provides additional features and options:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A search field at the top of the Passwords window or screen helps you find logins if scanning the full list is frustrating.<\/li>\n<li>You can use commands in the <b>+<\/b> menu to create new passwords and shared groups. On the Mac, commands in the \u2022\u2022\u2022\u00a0menu let you import and export passwords; the iPhone and iPad use that menu to bulk-select passwords for deletion and show generated passwords.<\/li>\n<li>Shared groups let you share a subset of passwords with family or colleagues. Choosing New Shared Group triggers an assistant that walks you through naming the group, adding people from Contacts, and choosing which passwords to share. You can move passwords between groups at any time.<\/li>\n<li>The Security Recommendations screen displays logins exposed in known breaches and points out logins with weak passwords. Check those and update them as necessary.<\/li>\n<li>In Password Options, you can turn off autofill, but why would you? Another option automatically deletes verification codes you receive in Messages after it inserts them with autofill.<\/li>\n<li>On websites that support two-factor authentication, you can set up a login to autofill the verification code. During setup on the site, you\u2019ll get a QR code you can scan with an iPhone or iPad if you\u2019re using a Mac; if you\u2019re using an iPhone or iPad, touch and hold the QR code and choose Add Verification Code in Passwords. Once you finish configuring the login, you\u2019ll have to enter the six-digit verification code on the site to link it with the login.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10418 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/macworks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/apples-icloud-keychain-password-management-is-all-many-people-need-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"641\" height=\"636\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Overall, iCloud Keychain provides the password management features that most people need, and it\u2019s a massive security improvement over keeping a document of your passwords on your desktop.<\/p>\n<p>(Featured image by iStock.com\/loooby)<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apple\u2019s iCloud Keychain Password Management Is All Many People Need We constantly recommend using a password manager like 1Password, BitWarden, or Dashlane. But many people resist committing to yet another app or paying for yet another service. Isn\u2019t Apple\u2019s built-in iCloud Keychain password management good enough? The answer now is yes, thanks to two recent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,69,106,880,8,25,112,185,104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-apple","category-apple-consulting-ct","category-apple-support-ct","category-ipad","category-iphone","category-mac","category-mac-support-ct","category-mactech","category-security"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8894"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8902,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8894\/revisions\/8902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.macworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}