Keychain Access - can't enter password in First aid.

There is more up to date Pulse installer, ps-pulse-mac-5.1r5.1-b61437, that seems to play well with El Capitan. It's working for me. My IT guys were able to obtain from Pulse. The other advice I've gotten from power users is, don't save your log on info in Pulse, and then it won't interact with Keychain.

Sounds like it is confirmed to often be an issue caused by Junos Pulse (and maybe other programs too)?

I removed Junos Pulse from my system and the problems stopped happening.

I hope they fix it or our IT department gets a normal VPN solution that does not require Pulse.

issues resolved by downloading the new junos installer: ps-pulse-mac-5.1r5.1-b61437. must restart afterward. mac is accepting the passwords i enter. still unable to enter a password for keychain first aid to run the program properly but maybe that is another issue. thank you all!

I had horrendous password problems without ever installing Junos. This is not a Junos problem. It is a Keychain Access problem.

In some cases, I suspect it may also have something to do with Apple periodically (every 6 months?) requiring people with AppleID accounts to change their passwords, people not understanding this, and/or login credentials not being properly updated when AppleID passwords are changed.

Same issue. No Junos. Upgraded from 10.8.5 with a copied installer (downloaded with same ID) Issue is system wide (exists in new test user)

Resetting/creating new Keychain will not fix issue.

Issue also persists on new 2015 MBP (10.11) not 10.11.1

I will update all to 10.11.1 and report

I will try reinstalling with 10.11.1 installer and report.

I will raise ticket with apple and wait

Has any one erased and installed and had success? Is this expected behaviour?

I also have this keychain issue on a 15" MBP 2015 using Yosemite, AND El Capitan.

In my case it rejects my WIFI password which disconnects me from the internet, and when I try to reconnect I have to click "Always Allow" keychain access for WIFI, which I do… Then 5 minutes later it disconnects me again... repeat ad infinitum.

*Note, I have never installed anything to do with Junos Pulse.*

YES I have reset keychain, which works for a while then problem resurfaces, I had wiped the machine and reinstalled Yosemite, which fixed the problem for a few days time at which point it came back. I have then tried installing El Capitan, which fixed the problem for a couple weeks, but same issue has reappeared. At the AppleCare peoples insistence, I re-installed El Capitan (they claimed it must be a corrupted Keychain file), yet the same issue reappears.

YES I have changed the Login Keychain settings to not lock after X minutes, and to not lock after sleep.

NO I didn't change my login password or my Keychain password, but YES they are (and always have been) the same.

NO I am not in some complex network environment, I am at home in my own network which works fine for everyone else except me.

YES I have enabled the Keychain preferences "Synchronize logic keychain", enabled "Set login keychain as default" and "keep login keychain unlocked".

And despite this, I am unable to use keychain first aid in any way, due to this:

"Keychain can't be unlocked automatically. Please attempt to unlock ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain from Keychain Access.

Unable to change password for ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain. Please change password using Edit > Change Password for Keychain."

YES I have tried logging in as root user to run keychain first aid, but the exact same issue prevents me from using keychain first aid.

YES I have deleted the keychain library files, which fixes problem briefly, and then problem comes back.

I have made 5 separate calls to AppleCare (who are friendly yet totally unknowledgeable of how to troubleshoot this issue) and I have read as many forums and tech websites as I can find. I have tried all these same troubleshooting ideas on both Yosemite and El Capitan. Nothing leads to a lasting solution.

I bought this MacBook Pro this summer to make my life easier, but it has been an extremely stressful experience, since I cannot rely on having WIFI. Even if I get things working by re-installing the OS or deleting the keychain libraries or whatnot… This issue always comes back.

In total honesty, I would never have bought this computer if I had known it would be like this. Randomly, this brand new machine becomes a 2500$ paperweight of unuseable stylish aluminum and glass. I've probably spent 50 hours trying to troubleshoot this, and NO-ONE, not AppleCare, or any genius on any forum can document a lasting solution.

And the worst thing about this, is that there are unresolved issues with keychain, eerily similar to my own, from back to 2007 on this very forum. It would almost be comical if I wasn't developing an iUlcer.

you should move this post.

However consider these questions

are other devices affected?

what encryption type are you using? Switch to WPA2

does this happen on other wifi networks?

have you replaced the access point?

interfierence? Is your router near a cordless phone/microwave/other wifi device? Move it

I don't know why I would move this post, considering the Keychain issue is root cause of my WIFI issue.

"In my case it rejects my WIFI password which disconnects me from the internet, and when I try to reconnect I have to click "Always Allow" keychain access for WIFI, which I do… Then 5 minutes later it disconnects me again... repeat ad infinitum."

I specifically did not go into all the WIFI troubleshooting because after all was said and done, it is the Keychain issue which is preventing WIFI from staying connected. To answer your questions in brief, of course I am WPA2, it happens on all networks, no other devices are affected, I have not replaced the access point because it's fine for all other computers, including an older MBP. No there is no interference. And many, many other WIFI troubleshooting steps were taken to much greater detail than these. It was definitively PROVEN than the wifi settings are not the issue.

Indeed WIFI issues were what the AppleCare people were initially fixated on. They even had me call my ISP and after hours spent on that, and describing it all to AppleCare again, they finally understood that all WIFI settings were correct, all router settings were fine, everything is good.

The ONLY reason wifi disconnects randomly is because Keychain constantly rejects permission for WIFI to access its password.

you have my sympathy as I nearly had a breakdown over this. In the end I was "advised" not to enable keychain at install, which I followed and since then have not had too many issues. Means I've got to keep track of passwords but not a bad price to pay. My problems started with the install of El Capitan. Up to that pint all my Mac products worked beautifully. Post El Capitan my iMac and MacBook Pro went into meltdown. I managed to backtrack my iMac and from my airport got Yosemite back along with files...no problems there now. My mbp, though I hadn't backed up so was stuck with El Capitan. As said keychain is not activated, but annoyingly it keeps dropping my yahoo mail access and I have to keep going into preference and reentering the password.

So I've got a working system, but it's clear that there is a problem that Apple refuse to acknowledge.

Thanks PhilJReeves for your post.

I wish I could go back in time and take your advice, it would have saved me so much trouble to have never enabled keychain. What a fiasco.

The worst part of this all was all the wifi troubleshooting, which was never the problem in the first place. It was all keychain, but not at all an obvious problem, as everyone's first inclination would be to think wifi settings are the culprit.

These keychain issues have existed for different people for many years, and Apple has not taken steps to resolve these continuous generational relapses in keychain lack of functionality. It's unbelievable.

People buy Mac because they want reliability and ease of use... How extremely ironic.

just trying to help. you didn't answer any of my questions. You didn't state clearly what had been done. Your issue is not clear cut. Just an FYI on keychain. It is a passwore store. Once you authenticate the password is saved. If you need to reconnect os X will request it from keychain. Why would it need it again? That is the question.

You could just buy a pc. I hear Windows 8 and 10 awesome.

Couldn't agree more. I went to Apple having been a PC user for as long I can remember and when I left IBM and bought my own laptop I realised what a pain in the butt windows was without dedicated support around to tweak and amend everything. As I said, all my apple products worked great...until I fatefully installed El Capitan and I still regret it now. I must have spent a week searching the internet trying to solve my mail problems before keychain raised its head and then i couldn't access anything. I posted on perhaps this website asking for advice and help, but got some smartarsed know all who did nothing but be condescending to my problem. In the end, I contacted Apple and it was during that fix on the phone that the keychain debate started....now it is no more part of my systems.

I see you are getting flak as well. Funny, I felt you had the same problem from your post so can't understand the emails. Maybe some people don't read so good..

I think 4NDY17 was trying to say your issue does not appear to be linked to the lack of "Password Field" (the title of this thread) - yes, it is very frustrating but from what you have described it is probably coming from other areas with in your system.

I have basically a clean setup with very little 3rd partly software and the iMac came with Yosemite preinstalled, I have never enabled iCloud Keychains preferring to keep my passwords across devices separate and when El Capitan arrived I dully upgraded.

The only issues I have found are the missing Password Field and the appearance of newly generated iMessage Keys on every reboot (four extra each time - currently delete old by hand) - which I have reported through the Developer Bug Reporting System to Apple.

The lack of Password Field only effects First Aid and as I see it the ability to repair Keychains if you have password login issues, your WiFi problem does sound as though it could be Network related and you could try the trouble shooting techniques for that side of things (do a search and you will discover topics on deleting Network Settings in System Preferences and Removing AirPort Network Passwords in Keychains - basically starting your Mac Network Setup from scratch). As you say this type of issue is well known and has been going on for some time through various prior operating systems so a lot of info on how to resolve is out there.

It doesn't help you, but on my setup with the missing Password Field (and iCloud Keychain disabled) it has been rock solid when connecting to the network so although the lack of Password Field is an issue I don't think it is behind your problem.

Sorry, should have been in response to archaic_606123.

Sorry for the late reply, wonder-of-wonders I have been having trouble keeping my WIFI connection because of this very issue.

Anyways to reiterate, I am certain this issue is keychain related. Trying to fix the keychain by running keychain first aid doesn't work, there is no password field (same as the title of this thread), and on any attempt to run verify or repair (like I said before) it states:

"Keychain can't be unlocked automatically. Please attempt to unlock ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain from Keychain Access.

Unable to change password for ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain. Please change password using Edit > Change Password for Keychain."

It gives this error message regardless if the local/login/system keychains are locked or unlocked.

So I cannot repair the keychain. And keychain reset (or deleting the keychain folder, or wiping the machine/reinstalling the OS) will fix it for a time, until this issue comes back (which it always does).

Also, I respect yours and 4NDY17's advice to check network settings, remove airport network passwords in keychains, etc. etc. And let me again say, all of this has been done, multiple times over on different occasions with different AppleCare techs overseeing every attempt. When I said that wifi and network settings are not the problem, I was not exaggerating.

Before this issue was discovered to be a keychain issue, I spent dozens of hours (again, not an exaggeration) on the phone with AppleCare, and technicians with my ISP verifying this was not a WIFI/network/router/ISP problem. The ISP even sent a technician to my ****** house. This is not a wifi or network settings issue. This is a keychain issue.

There has been EXHAUSTIVE analysis of all network and wifi and router settings. Deleting network protocols & re-adding only WIFI, changing the WIFI settings, we tried a static IP instead of DHCP in the case this was an IP collision issue, adjusted every security setting on the Mac and router, added/removed firewall/proxy settings on the mac and router, checked interference levels on the network and tried every available channel on both the 2.4 and 5GHz ranges, wireless diagnostics were captured multiple times and sent to the AppleCare people, the AppleCare people connected remotely to my machine, technicians tried to ping router/ISP/google during the wifi glitches, etc etc. Literally every network/router/wifi troubleshooting technique that 5 different AppleCare techs, and multiple different ISP technicians could think of were done on my machine/router.

It wasn't until all of this network/wifi/router crap was done, re-done, and re-re-done multiple times that the keychain continually "forgetting" the wifi password was really explored as the cause for my problems. It was only after all this, that the keychain troubleshooting steps listed in my original post on this thread were taken.

It's been months of this crap. Just a lovely MBP and iUlcer success story.

I am not a tech expert but I was sufficiently frustrated by Keychain Access not working under El Capitan that I may have stumbled upon some workarounds. Maybe this is stuff I should have known.

Lock your keychains before running Keychain First Aid (KFA).

KFA is third down under the Keychain Access tab or pulldown when you have the Keychain App open.

If you have more than one keychain: I have one called “login” and another with my name.

When you run KFA put the name of your keychain in the field labeled user name. Ex: login goes in the user field when I want to check that keychain’s health

Run Verify & then if necessary or for insurance run Repair

At one point I must have had a lot of corruption because I couldn’t even Verify or Repair any of my keychains.

I did a global search of my computer for anything with Keychain as the main word.

BTW I have never found Spotlight a good search mechanism and as result do command+F

Maybe Apple will issue a fix.

I particularly looked for preference files (Library)

Then I went to my Time Machine and picked a version of each file I planned to delete and restored it from my backup.

If you want to see the password of a particular application and clicking the show password button results in the beach ball twirl, lock your keychain and then follow the prompts for entering your password. Do this each time.

Admittedly these workarounds are cumbersome and hopefully Apple will address and soon.

I had spent a screen sharing session with Apple which ultimately did not resolve my issues.

Fingers crossed that my workarounds will hold until they fix.

An observation: Since El Capitan there seem to be a large number of passwords (maybe 15) added to one of my keychains. This recalls the nightmare days of me.com with lots of bloat. Anyway I get popups asking for passwords I know nothing about.

I’m kicking myself for updating to El Capitan rather than waiting 3-6 mos. While this password app has been the most serious problem to date there are lots of other niggling problems that guzzle my time.