A passkey lets you sign in to an account with the fingerprint, face scan or screen-lock PIN you already use to unlock your phone or computer. This guide shows how to create passkeys for Google and Microsoft accounts and how to prepare Apple devices to store them, using each company’s published steps.

What a passkey is

Apple’s iPhone User Guide says passkeys are uniquely generated for every account by your own device, which makes them less vulnerable to phishing than passwords. Google’s account help page adds that, unlike passwords, passkeys cannot be copied, written down or accidentally given to someone else, and that the fingerprint or face data used to unlock them stays on your device and is never shared with Google.

Before you start

  • Turn on screen lock. Google says a passkey cannot be used on a device until its screen lock is on.
  • Check versions. Google lists Windows 10, macOS Ventura or ChromeOS 109 and later for computers, Android 9 or iOS 16 and later for phones, and Chrome 109, Safari 16, Edge 109 or Firefox 122 and later for browsers.
  • Use only your own devices. Google warns that anyone who can unlock a device holding your passkey can access your Google Account.

Google Account

  1. On the phone or computer you want to use, go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys.
  2. Select Create a passkey, then Create a passkey again to store it on that device.
  3. Unlock your device when prompted.
  4. Repeat on each device you sign in from. For a FIDO2 hardware security key, choose Use another device instead and follow the prompts.

Creating a passkey opts the account into passkey-first sign-in. Google says adding a passkey does not change or remove existing authentication or recovery factors, and that for accounts with 2-Step Verification the passkey bypasses the second step. If you would rather be asked for your password first, open your Google Account, select Security & sign-in and, under “How you sign in to Google,” turn off Skip password when possible.

To use a phone’s passkey on a computer, enter your username, click Try another way, then Use your passkey, and scan the QR code with the phone, with Bluetooth on.

Apple: turn on iCloud Keychain

On Apple devices, passkeys are encrypted and stored in iCloud Keychain and work on all devices signed in to the same Apple Account, according to Apple. Its guide says iCloud Keychain and two-factor authentication must both be on.

  1. On iPhone or iPad, open Settings, tap your name, then tap iCloud. Under “Saved to iCloud,” tap Passwords (Passwords and Keychain on iOS 17 or earlier), then tap Sync this iPhone or iPad. On a Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, click your name, click iCloud, click Passwords (Passwords & Keychain on macOS Sonoma or earlier), then click Sync this Mac and Done. These steps come from Apple’s iCloud Keychain setup page.
  2. To add a passkey for a site or app, sign in with your existing password, open its account settings or management screen and, when offered the option to save a passkey, tap Continue.
  3. Passkeys you create appear in the Passwords app. To delete one, open Passwords, tap Passkeys, tap the account, tap Edit, then tap Delete and Delete Passkey.

On a computer that is not yours, choose “Passkey from nearby device” or similar and scan the QR code with your iPhone camera.

Microsoft account

  1. On the device where you want to keep the passkey, go to account.live.com/proofs/manage and sign in to your account’s Advanced Security Options, as Microsoft’s support page describes.
  2. Choose Add a new way to sign in or verify.
  3. Select Face, Fingerprint, PIN, or Security Key and follow the prompts on your device.
  4. Select Continue or Create to use the suggested location, or Change or Save another way to pick another. Options include a synced password manager, a phone via QR code, a physical security key or Windows Hello on the PC.
  5. Complete the save by unlocking with your face, fingerprint or PIN.

Work or school accounts can use passkeys only if the organization supports them, Microsoft says. To review or remove passkeys later, return to account.live.com/proofs/manage, expand the passkey section and use Rename or Remove. Passkeys saved on a Windows PC itself are listed in Settings under Accounts > Passkeys.

Common problems

  • A new Google passkey is not offered at sign-in. Google says you may need to wait seven days before a new passkey is available, and that choosing “Try another way” often makes it offer passkeys less frequently.
  • No passkey option appears on a website. Apple and Microsoft both say this means the site or app does not support passkeys yet.
  • A device is lost or stolen. Sign in to your Google Account on another device and remove that passkey under Security & sign-in > Passkeys and security keys. Microsoft warns that a removed passkey can no longer be used, so add another sign-in method first; removing all security info puts a Microsoft account into a 30-day restricted state.
  • Windows Hello is missing as a save option. Microsoft says it may not appear if you already saved a passkey to a synced manager such as Microsoft Password Manager.
  • A removed Google passkey still shows up. Google says to delete it from any third-party credential manager too.

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