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Difference between “System” keychain and “iCloud” keychain in Keychain access for OSX

Can anyone explain what the 'System' keychain is in comparison to the 'iCloud' keychain on my Macbook?

When viewing the WIFI networks lists they appear to be almost identical within 'system' keychain and 'iCloud' keychain.

How do these relate to each other?

My assumption is that, with iCloud keychain enabled on both my iOS device and my macbook, is that any wifi network I connect to on my iOS device is added to the 'iCloud' keychain and then transferred also to the 'system' keychain. Is that right? If so, when does this happen?

When I have 'forgotten' a network on my iOS device, this seems to remove it from the iCloud keychain as expected, but will this network remain in the 'system' keychain viewable within keychain access on the Macbook?

Also, the 'date modified' data seems to be odd, with lots of networks listed as modified on the same date and time - what would cause this please?

It would be great if Apple could include a 'last accessed' column.

Many thanks for your help.

MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2012)

Posted on Feb 5, 2015 5:28 AM

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5 replies

Feb 5, 2015 1:01 PM in response to Jamaway

System keychain is for the 'entire Mac'.


WiFi is useful to all users, so the system keychain remembers that for every user account. If you have user multiple accounts any user could sign in & still connect to the same network(s) without the need to enter the network password. The System keychain should be locked out from editing by normal users (only the system has the password).

You may want to look at the FAQ to clear up iCloud keychain - I don't fully understand it myself 🙂

Frequently asked questions about iCloud Keychain - Apple Support

Difference between “System” keychain and “iCloud” keychain in Keychain access for OSX

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