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Key Takeaways

  • iCloud Keychain is a secure and free option for storing and syncing passwords, credit card information, passkeys, and more across Apple devices.
  • It offers convenient features like autofill in Safari and other apps, two-factor authentication, and password generation.
  • While it has some shortcomings, including limited cross-platform support, it is still a great choice for iPhone owners and those who use multiple Apple devices.

iCloud Keychain, the built-in password manager for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS devices, offers more features than you might expect from a free option—without sacrificing security. It simplifies tasks like creating strong passwords, saving credit card information and passkeys, and generating two-factor authentication codes—all while syncing securely across your devices.

Learn about the security of iCloud Keychain syncing, its features, its limitations, and whether you should use it to keep your login credentials up-to-date across devices.

Features That Make iCloud Keychain Worth Using

From autofilling passwords in web browsers and apps to sharing login information using Shared Groups, iCloud Keychain provides a range of features that make it a great option for Apple device users. And while many password managers require a monthly subscription, iCloud Keychain is completely free. Let's explore its capabilities to help you determine if iCloud Keychain is the right choice for your password management needs.

iCloud Keychain Is End-to-End Encrypted and Syncs Securely

How secure is Apple's iCloud Keychain? The feature uses 256-bit AES encryption to store and transmit your saved items. According to Apple Support, it never exposes your saved data to Apple. Although Keychain items pass through Apple servers when syncing between devices, they "are encrypted in such a way that Apple and other devices can’t read their contents." The company says iCloud Keychain is engineered so that your passwords remain protected even if your iCloud account is compromised.

iCloud Keychain Stores Passwords, Credit Cards, Passkeys, and More

Most people use iCloud Keychain on their iPhone to save login credentials for websites and apps. For example, you can save passwords for the Netflix app, your gym's membership website, travel accounts, news subscriptions, and more.

In addition to usernames and passwords, iCloud Keychain stores the following information:

  • Credit card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes
  • Wi-Fi passwords
  • Two-factor authentication codes
  • Secure notes

iCloud Keychain Syncs Automatically Between iOS and macOS Devices

In Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Passwords and Keychain, you can turn iCloud syncing for passwords and Keychain items on and off for each of your devices.

With this feature turned on, your devices will sync all your Keychain items, automatically keeping them up to date across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. However, just like you don't have to use Apple's iCloud Keychain, you also don't have to sync the data between all or any of your devices.

You Can View and Manage All Your Passwords in Settings

While there's no standalone iCloud Keychain app on iPhone or Mac, it's easy to access all your Keychain items in Settings > Passwords. There you'll find the full, searchable list of passwords, along with security recommendations, sharing options, and the ability to create and save new passwords with the plus (+) button.

iCloud Keychain Makes It Simple to Create and Edit Strong Passwords

While you can manually create and save new Keychain items in Settings, iCloud Keychain makes it easy to generate strong passwords and save new accounts as you're creating them on the web or in apps.

For example, if you're signing up for a new account while using Safari, iCloud Keychain will suggest a strong password and let you edit or regenerate it. You can also tweak the suggested password by choosing Easy to Type or No Special Characters, or editing it to your liking. Then, you can save the new username and password (along with the associated URL) to iCloud Keychain right from the autofill menu.

icloud keychain suggested strong password with options dropdown menu

It's Easy to Autofill Passwords in a Browser or an App

Once you've saved a password, your iPhone or Mac will intelligently autofill it on webpages and apps with the relevant URL. You can also use your iPhone or iPad to autofill saved passwords on an Apple TV. If you have multiple accounts saved for one URL (for example, two Gmail accounts), you can choose between them by tapping the key and selecting from the AutoFill Password menu.

iCloud Keychain Syncs Passkeys and 2FA Codes

It's good practice to use two-factor authentication in addition to a strong password, and iCloud Keychain makes this easy. Go to the item you want to use a 2FA code with and tap Set Up Verification Code. iCloud Keychain will walk you through scanning a QR code or entering the setup key manually. More good news: when you're setting up a new phone by restoring from a backup, your 2FA codes will transfer along with your Keychain items. This way, you can avoid the hassle of setting up and migrating authenticator apps.

iCloud Keychain also stores Apple passkeys, so you can skip usernames and passwords altogether and use Face ID or Touch ID to sign into accounts on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV.

You Can Add Notes to Saved Accounts

The Notes field in an iCloud Keychain item lets you securely store any text you want to associate with the account. That could be answers to security questions, recovery keys, important dates, or other relevant information.

iCloud Keychain Monitors and Alerts You to Compromised Accounts

iCloud Keychain actively monitors your saved passwords to see if they appear in data leaks. You can view and manage compromised passwords on your iPhone by going to Settings > Passwords > Security Recommendations.

icloud keychain security recommendations data leak reused

You Can Share Passwords With Family

It's best to avoid texting or emailing sensitive information like passwords and 2FA codes. Instead, you can use iCloud Keychain Shared Groups to share Keychain items with people you trust. You can create a new Shared Group in Settings > Passwords, give it a name, and invite people via email or iMessage.

To share with people, they have to be in your contacts and use a device running at least iOS/iPadOS 17 or macOS Sonoma.

Limitations of iCloud Keychain

Although it provides a fairly rich set of features that many people will find useful, there are still disadvantages of Apple's iCloud Keychain to keep in mind.

For example, each password you create needs to have a username and URL attached to it. So you can't just save a password—such as a building door code or lock combination. At its core, iCloud Keychain is meant to be used for passwords you'll autofill somewhere on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The lack of a standalone app is also a minor inconvenience, despite the dedicated section in Settings.

In addition, iCloud Keychain is primarily tied to Apple devices. However, Apple does offer an iCloud Passwords Chrome extension so that Windows users can save passwords and access their Keychain items in the Chrome browser.

Download: iCloud Passwords for Google Chrome (Free)

To use this Chrome extension, Windows users will also have to download the iCloud for Windows app from the Microsoft Store.

Download: iCloud for Windows (Free)

Another major downside for many people is that iCloud Keychain is not available for Android devices. People hoping to sync passwords between a Mac or iPhone and an Android device will have to use a third-party app instead.

Finally, while iCloud Keychain covers the most common use cases, it's not as powerful as some of the best dedicated password managers for iPhone. Apps like 1Password and Dashlane offer the ability to add many more fields to a password entry (like tags, file attachments, and custom sections). And you can save other items, such as API keys, crypto wallets, passports, servers, and more. However, iCloud Keychain is free, while many third-party password managers require paid subscriptions.

Should You Use iCloud Keychain?

The answer depends on your use case and devices. If you only use an iPhone, iCloud Keychain is a no-brainer. And if you use multiple Apple devices, you'll enjoy its secure syncing and sharing features even more.

But is it a good idea to use iCloud Keychain if you have an iPhone or Mac, plus an Android or Windows device? If you're a Windows user, you can use iCloud Keychain—as long as you use Google Chrome as your browser. The experience won't be as seamless as it is on macOS (where it's built-in at the system level), but it's still available. However, it might not be the best option. Meanwhile, if you want a solution that syncs passwords between Apple and Android devices, you're better off signing up for a third-party password manager.

Is iCloud Keychain a good password manager? With plenty of features and strong security, iCloud Keychain is one of the best password managers for iPhone and a great option for anyone who's looking for a simple, seamless way to sync passwords between devices. If you consider yourself a power user and want more features and flexibility or cross-platform support, consider a third-party password manager service instead.