What Is Keychain on Mac, How to Use Keychain on Mac

Keychain on Mac is a built-in password management system that helps you store and organize your passwords in one secure place. In addition, it allows you to store passwords and encryption keys securely. This article will review everything you need to know about Keychain, including how to access it, save and manage your passwords, and sync your Keychain with other devices. So, let's get started!

What Is Keychain on Mac

On a Mac, Keychain is a password management system that stores passwords, encryption keys, and other sensitive information. It is integrated into the macOS operating system and can be accessed through theKeychain Accessutility. It's designed to securely store this information and allow easy access when you need it, such as when logging into a website or accessing a secure network.

How to Access Keychain on Mac

如果你想知道,钥匙链是在Mac和where to find it, it's pretty straightforward. To access Keychain on a Mac, follow these steps:

Step 1.Go to the "Applications" folder and open the "Utilities" folder.

Step 2. Click on the "Keychain Access" utility.

Step 3.Enter your login password when prompted.

You will be taken to the Keychain Access window, where you can view and manage the items stored in your Keychain.

Save New Passwords to Keychain Access

当您创建一个新的密码或改变一个existing password, you'll get a prompt to save it to your Keychain. If you choose "Yes," it will be added to the login keychain.

You can also manually add passwords to Keychain Access by following these steps:

Step 1.Open Keychain Access by going to the "Applications" folder and opening the "Utilities" folder, then clicking on "Keychain Access."

Step 2.In the Keychain Access window, select the Keychain where you want to store the password.

Step 3.From the "Edit" menu, select "New Password Item."

Step 4.In the "New Password Item" window, enter a name for the password in the "Keychain Item Name" field.

Step 5.Enter the username and password in the appropriate fields.

Step 6.Click "Add" to save the password to the Keychain.

Create Secure Notes in Keychain Access

You can even create "secure notes" in Keychain Access to store sensitive information such as account numbers, answers to security questions, etc. This is how you can make a secure note in Keychain Access:

Step 1.Open Keychain Access by going to the "Applications" folder and opening the "Utilities" folder, then clicking on "Keychain Access."

Step 2.In the Keychain Access window, select the Keychain where you want to store the secure note.

Step 3.From the "Edit" menu, select "New Secure Note Item."

Step 4.In the "New Secure Note Item" window, enter a name for the note in the "Keychain Item Name" field.

Step 5.Enter the note in the "Note" field. You can format the text using the formatting options at the top of the window.

Step 6.Click "Add" to save the secure note to the Keychain.

View and Edit Passwords in Keychain Access

After the above steps, you can also view and edit passwords in Keychain Access by following these steps:

Step 1.If you want to view and edit passwords in Keychain Access, these are the steps you need to follow:

Step 2.Open Keychain Access by going to the "Applications" folder and opening the "Utilities" folder, then clicking on "Keychain Access."

Step 3.In the Keychain Access window, select the Keychain that contains the password you want to view or edit.

Step 4.In the right panel, locate the password you want to view or edit.

Step 5.Double-click on the password to view its details.

Step 6.Click the "Edit" button in the toolbar to edit the password. Make the necessary changes and click "Save" when you are done.

Step 7.You can also view and edit passwords by right-clicking on them and selecting "Get Info" or "Change Password" from the context menu.

Sync Keychain Access to Other Apple Devices

You can useiCloudto sync your keychains across multiple Apple devices. This allows you to access your passwords and other sensitive information on devices signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.

This is how you sync your Keychain access to other Apple devices:

Step 1.On your Mac, open the "System Preferences" app.

Step 2.Click on the "iCloud" preference pane.

Step 3.Check the box next to "Keychain" to enable iCloud Keychain.

Step 4.Enter your Apple ID and password when prompted.

Once iCloud Keychain is enabled, your keychains will automatically sync with iCloud. You can also useiTunesto sync your keychains with other devices. To do this, connect your devices to your computer and use iTunes to sync the keychain data.

Restore Keychain Access Password

If you have forgotten your Keychain Access login password, you can try to reset it by following these steps:

Step 1.Open Keychain Access by going to the "Applications" folder and opening the "Utilities" folder, then clicking on "Keychain Access."

Step 2.In the Keychain Access window, select the "login" Keychain from the left pane.

Step 3.From the "Edit" menu, select "Change Password for Keychain' login'."

Step 4.Enter your old password when prompted, even if you don't remember it.

Step 5.Enter a new password and click "OK."

Conclusion

After reading this post, we hope you understand how to use Keychain on Mac and have gotten a look at its various features. It allows you to keep your passwords and passkeys safe without any hassle. With Keychain, managing and protecting your passwords is easy and convenient, so that it can be a great boon.

What Is Keychain on Mac FAQs

There are some questions users often have regarding the Keychain password on Mac specifically. So here are these standard notes to understand.

1. How to set up your Mac to be secure?

There are a lot of things you can do to set up your Mac to be secure. For example, you can set up passwords for your Mac and set up timers that require you to sign in. Also, you can use your MacFileVaultto encrypt your data on your Mac.

2. Why is my Mac asking me for a Keychain password?

If your Mac asks you for a keychain password, it might be because it has been inactive for some time or if you haven't synced your user and keychain passwords.

3. Is Keychain and Safari passwords the same?

No, Keychain is a separate utility from Safari passwords. However, saving a password in Safari saves it in Keychain if it is set up on your Mac.