Using iCloud Keychain

Many websites require login credentials. From social networks to email accounts. It is a chore to remember all these usernames and passwords. Apple offers a solution for that: the iCloud Keychain. This saves your passwords, creates your new secure passwords, and syncs the credentials between multiple devices. If you then visit a website or use an app whose data is stored, the keychain will automatically fill it in.

Note: iCloud Keychain only works with Safari, Apple’s native browser. So not with Chrome or Firefox.

Set up iCloud Keychain on iPhone or iPad (from iOS 12 onwards):

• Tap on Institutions.
• Tap your name. Not signed in yet, but do you have an Apple ID?
  • Then tap Log in to your iPhone/iPad.
  • Tap on E-mail and type the email address.
  • Tap on Next one.
  • Enter the corresponding password and tap Next one.
  • If you have additional Apple devices or have provided a phone number, a verification code will be sent to them. Enter this code.
  • If there is a passcode set for the iPad/iPhone, enter it now.
• Tap on iCloud.
• Tap on Keychain.
  
• Tap the slider behind “iCloud Keychain” so it turns green.
• The iCloud Keychain is activated and you can now use the Keychain to store passwords.

On a Mac with macOS 10.14 Mojave or later, set up the iCloud Keychain as follows:

• Click on the apple icon in the top left of the menu .
• click on System Preferences.
• click on Apple ID (macOS 10.15 Catalina or later) or iCloud (macOS 10.14 Mojave).
• If you are already logged in with your iCloud account on the computer, you will see your details in the left part of the window. Not logged in yet?
  • Then click in the field behind ‘Apple ID’.
  • Enter the email address associated with the Apple ID.
  • click on Next one.
  • Enter the corresponding password.
  • click on Next one.
  • A verification code may arrive on one of your Apple devices. On that device, click/tap Allow.
  • The code appears on the screen. Enter the verification code on your Mac.
  • Enter the Mac password if prompted and click OK.
  • Decide whether you want to merge Contacts, Calendars, and Safari with iCloud. We click merge.
  • Decide if you want to set up Find My Mac. Read the explanation in the window for this. We click Allow.
• Check the box for ‘Keychain’.
• click on Continue.
• Enter your Apple ID password and click OK.
• Enter the Mac’s password. This password also protects the data in the keychain.
• Tap on OK.
• The iCloud Keychain is activated and you can now use the Keychain to store passwords.

Now that you’ve turned on the keychain, you can start saving passwords. You surf to a web page in Safari as usual and log in with your details. Because iCloud Keychain is on, you will be asked whether you want to save your data when you log in. Below we explain step-by-step how this works:

• On your iPad, iPhone or Mac, open the Internet browser Safari.
• Surf to the website whose data you want to save. For example seniorweb.nl
• Log in in the usual way.
• A message will appear in the window asking if you want to save this password in the iCloud Keychain. click on Save password.
• The data is now in the keychain. The next time you go to the website, the data will be filled in for you. On the iPhone/iPad you first set it to happen automatically. Read more about this in the tip ‘Automatically fill in passwords on iPhone/iPad’.

The iCloud Keychain also offers the option to create a password when you create a new account. This is a complicated and therefore secure password. The new password is automatically saved in the keychain.

• On your iPad, iPhone or Mac, open the Internet browser Safari.
• Surf to the website where you want to create an account.
• Enter your account name or email address.
• Tap or click in the field where you need to enter the password.
• On the Mac computer, a pop-up appears with a password suggested by Safari. Click on this. The password will now be filled in automatically and stored in iCloud Keychain.
  • If no pop-up appears, click the key icon to the right of the password field. Then click on Password suggestion.
• For iPhone/iPad, from iOS15/iPad OS 15, tap Use strong password and proceed to the last step. In older versions, tap on the keyboard Passwords and then on Password suggestion.
  • A popup will appear. Tap on Use password suggestion or Use Safari suggested password.
• The password is now automatically filled in and stored in iCloud Keychain. Continue through the account creation process.