How to completely remove Keychain from iMac

rkaufmann87 wrote:

...Mac OS 26.4 which does not even have Keychain installed, Keychain was replaced by the Passwords apps years ago.

To be clear, the Keychain remains a part of macOS as does the Keychain Access app. It's just buried. Easiest to just do a Spotlight search for Keychain Access, but if you prefer then you can navigate to it in /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications.

If you double-click the app, when prompted you can choose the non-default option to open Keychain Access instead of Passwords.

This remains relevant, for example, if you want to delete the password to an external drive or disk image after you tick the box to save the password in your keychain. Passwords of that sort are not accessible in the Passwords app, they are stored in the Keychain.

Dave4407 wrote:

how to completely remove keychain from imac

An excerpt from a User Tip authored by @ MrHoffman

" Starting in macOS 15 Sequoia, Keychain Access app can read but no longer create Secure Notes.

Password app also uses a different and more secure storage, and which apparently doesn't include a generic text note feature.

Per Apple, the file-based keychains are fading away, with a migration to the data protection keychain underway. (Which can use biometrics and the secure enclave, where the file-based keychains cannot.)

Related: TN3137: On Mac keychain APIs and implementations | Apple Developer Documentation

TN3137 contains the following statement: "The file-based keychain is on the road to deprecation. It’s not officially deprecated, but some of the APIs surrounding it are. For example, SecKeychainCreate was deprecated in the macOS 12 SDK. Moreover, new features, like iCloud Keychain, require the data protection keychain." "

So based upon the above information.

It would be reasonable to conclude the Keychain App still exists for now

Though, as this specific app is built into the current macOS 26 Tahoe

The macOS operating system resides in a sealed and read-only volume that can’t be opened by users or third-party applications.

It can not be removed - full stop

Keychain is part of Mac OS and cannot be removed. Also, your profile indicates you are running Mac OS 26.4 which does not even have Keychain installed, Keychain was replaced by the Passwords apps years ago.

Why do you want to remove Keychain from your Mac?

Old Toad wrote:

Why do you want to remove Keychain from your Mac?

+100