Your Mac stores all kinds of passwords. Be it for your online accounts, Wi-Fi network, or the ones used by your applications and programs. If you are wondering, where all the passwords are stored on your Mac and where you can view, edit or delete the unnecessary ones, here we are showing you the straightforward way.
How To Find Passwords On Mac
PART 1- Where Are All My Passwords Stored?
Well, Mac uses a dedicated program known as Keychain Access that securely stores all the aforementioned passwords along with digital certificates and keys required for verification and encryption purposes.
PART 2- Where Can I Find Keychain Access?
You can easily locate Keychain Access on your Mac. All you have to do is go to the Applications > utilities and look for Keychain Access. Alternatively, you can search for Keychain using the Spotlight feature.
- Top-Left Panel = Shows various keychains on your systems. These are dedicated folders where all your Mac passwords and certificates are stored. You can discover the login items here.
- Below (Top-Left Panel) = Shows you multiple categories of things that Keychain Access can securely store.
- Right-Panel = Have a look at specific credentials you are looking for. You can find saved Wi-Fi passwords or credentials used by a particular application or website. Simply double-click them to see more details.
PART 3- How Do I Find Passwords On Mac?
Keychain Access is your best bet when you want to find passwords on Mac. Follow the steps below to learn how to use the Keychain Access app to view saved passwords:
STEP 1- Launch Keychain Access application using Spotlight.
STEP 2- From the left-panel, choose Local or iCloud to discover your Login items stored on Mac.
STEP 3- Alternatively, you can rely on the Search bar to scroll through the list of saved passwords.
STEP 4- When you find the profile you are looking for, simply double-click on the folder.
STEP 5- You need to click on the Show Password option from the next pop-up window.
STEP 6- At this point, enter your Mac’s password to complete the process of unlocking a saved password (for a particular category).
This is how you can easily find & view passwords on Mac using the Keychain Access application.
Must-Read: How To Reset Keychain Password On Mac?
PART 4- How To Find, View & Edit Passwords On Mac With Safari?
If you are using the Safari browser, you should know that it saves all your online credentials. To find them, all you have to do is:
STEP 1- Open Safari on your Mac.
STEP 2- Navigate to the menu bar and select Safari.
STEP 3- Go to the Preferences section and click on Passwords from the top of the window.
STEP 4- You need to enter your Mac credentials to proceed further.
STEP 5- Click on any of the items displayed to you to view the password or edit them.
If you want to update a password, select a website > Details > edit the password > Done!
If you want to delete a password for a specific website, select it > hit the Remove button. If you wish to remove multiple passwords, then you need to hold the Command key and choose the passwords you wish to get rid of, and click the Remove button to complete the process!
What If I Forget The Login Password On Mac?If you can’t remember the login password for your Mac, try these tips below:
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PART 5- How Can I Protect Passwords On Mac?
If you are highly concerned about your Mac security and passwords saved on Mac, you need to take care of the following aspects:
1. Turn Off Auto-Fill Feature
To avoid the Safari browser automatically entering your saved passwords online, consider turning off the feature. To do so: Open Safari > Navigate to Preferences > Hit the Passwords section > Untick AutoFill usernames and Passwords.
2. Use Password Manager For Mac
Using a dedicated password management application for Mac is a secure option for saving all your credentials. There are a variety of options available in the market that can help you store and manage your passwords in a secured place and protect them from breaches.
We recommend using NordPass, since it offers a secure way to safeguard your credentials using the AES-256 encryption technique. It even has a dedicated tool called Password Generator to suggest unique, strong, and complex passwords that are hard to crack.
That’s all folks! This is how you can find passwords on Mac and further edit, delete or protect them. If this guide helped you, don’t forget to ‘Upvote’ this article!
3. Practices For Secure Passwords
- Use multi-factor authentication.
- Create passwords with eight characters or more with a mix of character types.
- Avoid using a pattern of keyboard characters.
- Include a mix of upper and lowercase letters, punctuation marks, numbers & more.
- Incorporate continuous backups
- Follow the below mentioned do’s & don’ts!
PART 6- Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1. Where Are All My Passwords Stored In Chrome On Mac?
To find saved passwords on Mac (if using Chrome browser):
- Launch Chrome.
- Go to the Settings.
- Navigate to the Advanced settings.
- Scroll down and click on Manage Passwords.
- Hit the three-dots icon right of the password you wish to view.
- You have to hit the ‘eye-icon’.
- Enter the login details of your Mac and hit the OK button!
Q2. How Can I Disable Keychain On Mac?
- Head towards System Preferences.
- Click on the iCloud > check/uncheck Keychain option.
- At this point, you need to enter the Apple ID.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the deactivation process.
Note: If you’ll permanently disable the Keychain feature on Mac, you’ll lose important functionality to find passwords on Mac.
Q3. Which Is The Best Password Manager For Mac?
The market has lots of options when it comes to choosing the best password management application for Mac. We have already suggested using NordPass. Alternatively, you can start using Dashlane, 1Password, LastPass, Keeper for Mac.
To get more help out of your Apple Devices, you check out the following articles:
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