2FA Codes Syncing Across All My Macs

Question

Level 2

291 points

2FA Codes Syncing Across All My Macs

2FA Codes Syncing Across All My Macs. — Is There a Way to Disable Just This?

I have three Macs all running the latest macOS with all updates installed, and I recently noticed a change in how Safari handles SMS two-factor authentication codes. When I log into my bank and receive a 2FA code via text, Safari auto-fills it as expected — but the code is now also showing up ready to fill on my other two Macs as well.

Before this never happened. The code would be used once and disappear, never appearing on my other devices. It seems like OTP codes are now being synced through iCloud Keychain, which is a real security concern since the whole point of 2FA is that the code should only be accessible in one place.

Turning off Passwords & Keychain sync entirely works, but then I lose password syncing across my devices which I rely on. Ideally I'd love a toggle to disable OTP syncing specifically without affecting everything else.

Has anyone run into this and found a workaround? And if this is a known change, is there an existing Feedback Assistant report I can add my vote to?

Posted on Mar 1, 2026 10:14 AM

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Answer 1

steve626

Level 6

15,209 points

Mar 1, 2026 10:24 AM in response to Dimme

Provide Apple feedback here: https://www.apple.com/feedback/macos/

My experience has been different than yours. For years, all "trusted devices" for the specified Apple ID receive those 2FA codes simultaneously. During Sequoia and earlier, even back to Monterey. This happens even when one of the trusted devices is in another part of the country (U.S.).

I don't see how this is a security concern, those are the user specified "trusted devices."

What I do see, however, is that the 2FA codes disappear from those devices fairly quickly, and after they do, there is no record of it, so unless one is watching, one might miss it and not realize it was also showing on other devices.

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Answer 2

Mar 1, 2026 11:02 AM in response to Dimme

2FA codes from third party services are sent via SMS and those go to your phone first, then to your Macs. To ensure they are deleted after use, on all your devices go to (System) Settings > General > Autofill & Passwords and make sure the Delete After Use option is toggled on.

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Answer 3

MrHoffman

Level 10

152,609 points

Mar 1, 2026 1:18 PM in response to Dimme

Dimme wrote:

I am set up in the way described above and the code states on the clipboard on the other Macs

The clipboard is shared across everything, whether it’ll contains two-factor codes or other data.

A security review might well be warranted here though, which might include moving away from SMS codes to passkeys, security keys, or to the built-in or some add-on authenticator app.

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Answer 4

Mar 1, 2026 12:36 PM in response to Dimme

Is there harm in that? A 2FA code is useful only once and for limited duration on the sender side. Still, if if concerns you then you can turn off Spotlight's display of Clipboard items in System Settings > Spotlight.