Passwords Becomes a Real App in macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, and iPadOS 18

ByEmily Dolloff

Although we’re still fans of 1Password, and there are plenty of other good password managers out there, like BitWarden and Dashlane, Apple has finally removed the last hurdle to using its built-in password management capabilities.

Starting in macOS 15 Sequoia, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and visionOS 2, Passwords is now a real app rather than being trapped inside Safari, System Settings, and Settings. If you have resisted using a password manager or don’t wish to continue subscribing to an alternative, give Apple’s Passwords a try. It makes creating, maintaining, and entering passwords faster, easier, and more secure than doing it by hand. Those already using a password manager can export their accounts and import into Passwords.

What You’ll Find in Passwords

We’ll focus on the Mac version here, but the other versions are nearly identical apart from their screen sizes.

The left-hand sidebar, reminiscent of Reminders, provides categories of accounts:

  • All: Select All to see all your accounts, regardless of what shared group they may be in.
  • Passkeys: If you have any passkeys for large websites like Apple, Google, and others, they’ll appear here.
  • Codes: Passwords can create, store, and enter two-factor authentication codes for sites that support them. If you need to look one up manually because Passwords couldn’t autofill it, you’ll find the associated account here.
  • Wi-Fi: This category contains stored passwords for all the known Wi-Fi networks on your device. Because known Wi-Fi networks aren’t synced between devices, the number of these will vary between your devices.
  • Security: If you have any accounts with weak passwords, accounts you previously shared and stopped sharing, or accounts whose passwords were leaked in a security breach, they’ll appear here. Edit these accounts and click the Change Password button to start the process; when the password changes, they’ll disappear from this category.
  • Deleted: Any accounts you delete stay here for 30 days before being deleted for good. You can delete any of these accounts immediately or restore them to their previous group.
  • Shared Groups: If you use Family Sharing, you automatically get a Family Passwords group to simplify sharing important accounts with your family members. But you can also share accounts with other groups of Apple device owners. To move an account to a group, choose it from the Group pop-up menu.

The middle pane lists the accounts in the selected category. You can sort the list using the menu with vertical arrows, search for a specific account, and manually add a new one with the + button. Otherwise, scroll through the list and click an account to view it in the right-hand pane.

At the top of the right-hand pane is an AirDrop button and an Edit button. Click AirDrop to share an account with someone nearby or Edit to make changes or set up a two-factor verification code. If you want to copy information, click the User Name, Password, Verification Code, or Website item to get a Copy menu. The password becomes visible when you mouse over it. Clicking Website also offers an Open Website option and lets you add more sites where the password should autofill.

Setup Requirements

Most people shouldn’t need to do anything to start using Passwords. However, if you have trouble, check the following items:

  • Turn on Password AutoFill: If your device isn’t entering passwords for you, turn on AutoFill Passwords and Passkeys in Settings/System Settings > General > AutoFill & Passwords. Also, ensure that Passwords is enabled in the AutoFill From section if multiple password managers are installed.
  • Turn on iCloud Keychain: If you want your passwords to sync securely among your devices, which makes life a lot easier, go to Settings/System Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Passwords and turn on Sync This Device.
  • Set up iCloud Passwords for other browsers: Apart from Safari, Chromium-based Web browsers (Arc, Brave, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, etc.) can access and autofill your saved passwords if you install Apple’s iCloud Passwords Chrome extension. (There’s also now an iCloud Passwords add-on for Firefox.) The overall experience is not as seamless as in Safari, requiring a once-per-launch code, and you have to create new accounts in Safari or manually in Passwords, but it works.
  • Configure settings: Choose Passwords > Settings (or look in Settings > Apps > Passwords for iOS 18 and iPadOS 18) to access options. Generally speaking, it’s fine to keep them all turned on.

If you have additional questions, check Apple’s documentation for detailed instructions for all the platforms on which Passwords runs. But realistically, Passwords is easy to use, and although the app itself is new, the underlying password management features and syncing have been in place for years, so they’re stable and reliable.

(Featured image by iStock.com/designer491)

Social Media: Apple’s new Passwords app in macOS 15, iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and visionOS 2 makes the company’s longstanding password storage and syncing features more straightforward and easy to use. It’s password management for the rest of us!

Similar Posts

  • Apple TV and Apple Watch

    This week I’ve been testing out some of the new features on the Apple TV and a bit on the new watchOS. You can now get an Apple Watch for $299.99. The release of watchOS 2.2 was a minor bump in improvements, including the ability to pair more than one Apple Watch to one iPhone, additional browsing options in Maps, improvements to tracking your pulse and a few other minor updates. Unlike past revisions and improvements to the watchOS this one has left me feeling a little underwhelmed. While the software updates weren’t particularly robust, I was excited to see that the Apple Watch now has even more watch bands to choose from. I’ve had my watch for about six months now and have noticed its getting a bit dingy, so now might be a good time to get another band! There are new sport band colors to choose from including a bold new yellow and a new woven nylon option. For those seeking a more traditional style band, the woven nylon might be just what you are looking for, this band features a standard watch buckle style clasp.

    Apple TV got some updates this week and just in time for the NCAA Championship. With the latest software release for Apple TV you can now get the latest NCAA games with an added feature of having two games display on your TV side by side! In addition to being able to watch the latest games, you now have approximately 5000 apps to choose from, including new workout apps. Siri now works better when searching for content, even in the App Store, and you can access your iCloud Photo library. Starting to feel like your apps are getting too cluttered? Easily create folders by dropping app icons onto of each other just like you do on your iPhone or iPad. Dictation, another added feature that can really speak up your search process. Rather than typing through letters one at a time when searching for something specific, you can now use dictation by selecting the Siri button in the search field. I will note, you do have to be in the specific search field, you can’t just use it from the home screen. My favorite updates, one of which works with both the Apple TV and the Apple watch, is the remote app. You can now use your Apple watch to navigate through the options on the Apple TV, a feature that might seem silly to some, but with a small and easily misplaced remote this is bound to be an incredibly valuable new feature. Think the watch is too small to use for a remote? Hook up your Apple bluetooth keyboard! That’s right, you can now use your standard sized keyboard as well.

    I should note, that some of these updates, like the NCAA games, do have additional fees. More and more of us are swaying away from traditional TV and with more options coming to the Apple TV and choosing your content, we are getting closer and closer to paying for only what we want.

  • I hear they are having a big football game on my birthday this year. I might catch some of it just for the commercials but will probably just go out to dinner with Grace to toast another year on this blue planet. Thank you so much for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes!

    Your Kibbles & Bytes Team

    Don, Dean, Emily & Scott