You can use iCloud Keychain on an iPhone, iPad and Mac. Using this option, your passwords and account information are stored locally, secured, and synced with iCloud. Your passwords are updated via the online service immediately when you change or add them.
In addition, iCloud Keychain can also help you generate new, unique and difficult passwords. These can be filled in automatically when logging in to websites and apps. You can use and consult the keychain on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, but the iCloud keychain can also be used on a Vision Pro or Apple TV.
Activate iCloud Keychain
- Open Settings on iPhone or iPad or  ▸ System Settings on Mac
- Navigate to your name
- Tap or click iCloud
- From the list, select ‘Passwords’
- Enable the option ‘Sync this [apparaat]’ in
- Follow the on-screen instructions
Do you have iOS 17, iPadOS 17 or older installed? Then you can activate this via Settings â–¸ your name â–¸ iCloud â–¸ Keychain â–¸ Enable the ‘iCloud Keychain’ option. On a Mac with macOS Sonoma or older, you can find this via  â–¸ System Preferences â–¸ your Apple Account â–¸ iCloud â–¸ Enable the ‘Keychain’ option.
What is an iCloud Security Code?
When you activate iCloud Keychain, you can set a security code. This code is used to configure the additional devices linked to your iCloud account for the online keychain. This code may also be requested to verify your identity when, for example, you have purchased a new device and want to set it up. You must always activate iCloud Keychain with every new device, even if you restore a backup.
Extra safe
Apple synchronizes the data encrypted with 256-bit AES encryption. It is good to know that your accounts and password are not stored online on Apple’s servers, iCloud Keychain only ensures that the data is updated directly on all your linked devices. When you activate a new device, iCloud will restore data from another paired device or from a secure backup.
How does iCloud Passwords work?
When you log in to a web page with your account for the first time after activating the keychain, Safari asks whether you want to save your password and login details in your keychain. By agreeing, Keychain will save the information and you will no longer have to fill it in completely next time and you can register immediately.
If you visit a website or app for which the data is already known in your key ring, you can easily retrieve it. Tap or click the field to enter your username or password. Above the keyboard or at the bottom of the screen of your iPhone or iPad you will have the option to immediately fill in the password automatically. On a Mac you can click the key icon in the username or password field.
What data is kept?
Once the service is activated, all passwords, credit card information and usernames you enter in macOS, iOS and iPadOS are stored. These are passwords for websites, WiFi networks, internet accounts, e-mail, etc. Your Passkeys are also stored in the Passwords app. All this data is synced and kept up to date with all your iCloud devices, click here for more information about adding credit card details.
Also for apps
iCloud Passwords was initially only suitable for passwords in Safari, but this has been expanded in recent years. Apps can also build in support for the keychain and you can enter login details when logging into an app. Other web browsers such as Chrome can also open the keychain.
Create new iCloud password
When you create a new account, in most cases you will have to create and set a password. It is important that you come up with a unique password that is also difficult to guess. Annoying? Then you can let iCloud Keychain do this job.
When creating a new password, iOS, iPadOS or macOS will immediately give you a suggestion. Select ‘use strong password’ to complete this. Immediately the password and username will be saved to your keychain.
Where can I find my passwords?
Since iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia, you can find your login details and passwords in the Passwords application. Do you still have iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma or older? Then you will find them elsewhere. You can then find your passwords on an iPhone or iPad via Settings â–¸ Passwords and accounts â–¸ Passwords.
On a Mac with macOS Sonoma or earlier, you can find your login information in three locations, through Safari Settings, the Keychain Access app, or through Passwords in System Settings.
iCloud passwords for Windows
If you set up iCloud passwords in iCloud for Windows, you can manage your passwords in the iCloud Passwords app on your Windows computer. You can also generate verification codes for accounts that require two-factor authentication.
iCloud passwords can be used via a Chrome extension for Windows users or directly in Microsoft Edge via a handy browser extension. You can then easily use the same strong Safari passwords for websites on your Windows PC as you create on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. When entering account information, you can then immediately use iCloud Keychain thanks to the extension.