How safe is the Passwords app?

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Level 1

70 points

How safe is the Passwords app?

How safe is the new Passwords app? It can be opened by the Mac user account password – and then every password can be seen.

I suspect many users have short account passwords because it has to be typed in so often (on starting or waking the Mac etc) – this could be especially true for users of Macs before fingerprint / Touch ID.

Also if you have to take the Mac to be repaired or serviced, the repair shop will need the user account password, and then they have access to all your passwords.

Passkey

I hadn't realised I'd done this, but I created a passkey for an online account. This is suppose to be more secure, but in the Passwords app there is still a password for the account. So if someone accessed my Passwords app, they would also get access to accounts using Passkeys. So Passkeys are not even safer?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 16″

Posted on Apr 30, 2025 4:54 AM

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Answer 1

MrHoffman

Level 10

151,253 points

Apr 30, 2025 1:58 PM in response to Sparky Marky

I use Passwords app, but I also used Keychain Access and iCloud Keychain previously.

Password app is the replacement for Keychain Access app (which is still shipping in macOS), and Password app provides the interface into any local keychains, and into iCloud Keychain if that’s been enabled. It unites various password-related features that were previously scattered around.

Doc: Use the Passwords app to create, manage, and share passwords and passkeys across Apple devices - Apple Support

Access to the passwords app requires the login password or biometrics: Find saved passwords and passkeys on your Mac - Apple Support

Touch ID can further be required for password auto-fill: Touch ID & Password settings on Mac - Apple Support

A website or other service can authenticate with a password, a password and a second factor, or can use a passkey to integrate both password and second factor. Some websites and some services will have both a password and second factor, and passkey.

Among other benefits, the intent of using passkeys is to avoid password sharing, and to avoid phishing, and to avoid two-factor “fun” with verification codes and avoid things such as exploitable SMS second-factors.

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How safe is the Passwords app?

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