Passwords App log-in screen randomly pops up

The screenshots confirm this is the standard macOS "Passwords Is Locked" authentication dialog.

It is not an error message by itself, it appears whenever a background process requests access to passwords or passkeys stored in the Passwords app.

Since you have seen it appear while using both Mail and Photoshop, it is unlikely that either application is the direct cause.

A background service such as Mail, Adobe Creative Cloud, iCloud Keychain syncing, or another login item is more likely requesting access, causing macOS to bring the Passwords unlock dialog to the front.

If this behaviour only began recently, it's also possible you have encountered a bug in macOS Sequoia.

Restarting the Mac, installing the latest Sequoia update, and temporarily quitting background apps such as Mail and Adobe Creative Cloud can help determine whether one of them is triggering the repeated requests.

macOS Sequoia 15.7.8

Apple's documentation on the Passwords app:

Mac User Guide - Apple Support

Apple's information about Passwords in macOS Sequoia:

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

If the problem continues, it's worth reporting it to Apple using Feedback , as repeated, unsolicited Passwords unlock prompts are not expected behaviour:

One additional question: does the dialog disappear if you click Cancel, only to return a few minutes later, or does it immediately reappear until you unlock it?

That detail can help narrow down whether a single process is repeatedly retrying authentication.

From your screenshot, this looks like the macOS Passwords service asking to unlock the password database for the user "Del Frost."

Because it's appearing as a small authentication sheet rather than the full Passwords app, it usually means that a background process is trying to access your saved passwords or passkeys.

Since it only started a couple of days ago, you haven't updated macOS recently, and the prompt goes away for a while if you dismiss it, the most likely explanation is that some app or background service is repeatedly requesting access and then timing out or cancelling when authentication isn't provided.

The first thing I'd do is open Activity Monitor when the prompt appears and see whether a particular application suddenly becomes active.

Then check System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions for any recently added background items. If you use a browser password extension or another password manager, temporarily disable it to see whether the prompts stop.

One question that would help narrow it down: which version of macOS are you running, and does the prompt appear only after waking from sleep or even while the Mac is sitting idle?

The intermittent nature of the pop-up is actually a useful clue.

Since you're running macOS Sequoia 15.7.5 and it appears at random, even when you're away from the Mac, it's less likely to be triggered by something you're actively doing and more likely to be caused by a background process, login item or helper application.

The fact that you haven't seen it for several hours is encouraging.

If you've recently disabled a login item, removed an application or changed a notification setting, one of those changes may have resolved the problem.

For now, I'd simply continue using the Mac normally. If the pop-up doesn't return over the next day or two, it's a good sign the issue has been resolved.

If it does reappear, a screenshot or the exact wording of the message will make it much easier to identify the source.

Apple has guidance on managing login items and background processes here: Open items automatically when you log in on Mac and information about background login items here: Manage login items and background tasks on Mac.

Current Sequoia is Sequoia 15.7.8 Released July 27, 2026

del.frost wrote:

I'm currently running Sequoia 15.7.5

The pop-up appears randomly while I'm doing whatever I'm doing. One had appeared while I'd been away from my Mac & had returned & woken the Mac... Well, not from sleep, everything is set to not go to sleep, but I dismissed the screensaver & there it was. I'd imagine it had just appeared while I was away & the screen saver was on.

I've not seen it again for the last few hours, so I'm hoping something I've done has finally got rid of it. We shall see!

Is it a matter of checking those apps in the Full Disk Access...(?)

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