How to Use macOS Keychain Access to View and Manage Saved Passwords

Every time you log into a website using Safari, connect to a Wi-Fi network, or enter a password for an application on your Mac, macOS offers to save that password for you. Over time, your Mac accumulates hundreds of stored credentials. But when you need to retrieve a Wi-Fi password to share with a guest, recover an application licence key you saved years ago, or verify which password you used for a specific service, finding it can feel impossible if you do not know where macOS stores them.

macOS stores all saved passwords, certificates, encryption keys, and secure notes inside a secure database called the Keychain. You can view and manage everything stored in this database using a built-in application called Keychain Access. This guide explains how to use Keychain Access to find saved passwords, recover Wi-Fi credentials, manage stored certificates, and troubleshoot common Keychain problems.

How to Open Keychain Access

1. Press Command + Space to open Spotlight.
2. Type Keychain Access.
3. Press Enter.

Alternatively, you can navigate to Applications > Utilities > Keychain Access using Finder.

Understanding the Keychain Access Interface

When Keychain Access opens, you will see a sidebar on the left with two main sections:

Keychains

• login: Your personal keychain, which stores passwords for websites, applications, and Wi-Fi networks. This is the keychain you will use most frequently.
• iCloud: Passwords that are synced across all your Apple devices via iCloud Keychain.
• System: System-level credentials used by macOS itself, such as certificates for secure network connections.
• System Roots: Root certificates from trusted certificate authorities (such as Apple, DigiCert, and Let’s Encrypt). These are used to verify the identity of websites and services.

Categories

• Passwords: Saved passwords for websites, applications, and services.
• Secure Notes: Encrypted text notes you have manually saved.
• Certificates: Digital certificates used for secure communication.
• Keys: Encryption keys used by applications and system services.
• My Certificates: Personal certificates associated with your identity.

How to Find and View a Saved Password

1. Open Keychain Access.
2. Ensure login is selected in the sidebar under Keychains.
3. Click Passwords in the Category section.
4. Use the search bar in the top-right corner to type the name of the website, application, or service.
5. Double-click the relevant entry to open its details.
6. Tick the Show Password checkbox.
7. Enter your Mac user password (the password you use to log into your Mac) when prompted.
8. The saved password will be revealed in the password field.

You can also see additional information such as the account name (username), the date the password was created, the date it was last modified, and which application stored it.

How to Find a Saved Wi-Fi Password

macOS saves the password for every Wi-Fi network you have ever connected to. If you need to share the Wi-Fi password with a guest or enter it on another device, you can retrieve it from Keychain Access.

1. Open Keychain Access.
2. Select System in the sidebar (Wi-Fi passwords are typically stored in the System keychain, not the login keychain).
3. Click Passwords in the Category section.
4. Search for the name of the Wi-Fi network (the SSID).
5. Double-click the entry.
6. Tick Show Password.
7. Enter your Mac user password and click Allow.

If the Wi-Fi password does not appear in the System keychain, try checking the login keychain instead, as some macOS versions store Wi-Fi credentials differently.

How to Delete a Saved Password

If you have changed a password and macOS keeps autofilling the old one, or if you want to remove credentials for a service you no longer use, you can delete the saved password.

1. Open Keychain Access.
2. Search for the relevant entry.
3. Right-click the entry.
4. Select Delete.
5. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Be careful when deleting entries. If you delete a password that is synced via iCloud Keychain, it will be removed from all your Apple devices.

How to Create a Secure Note

Keychain Access allows you to store encrypted text notes that are protected by your Mac login password. This is useful for storing sensitive information such as software licence keys, recovery codes, or PINs.

1. Open Keychain Access.
2. Ensure login is selected in the sidebar.
3. Click File in the menu bar.
4. Select New Secure Note Item.
5. Enter a Keychain Item Name (a descriptive title for the note).
6. Type the sensitive content in the Note field.
7. Click Add.

The note is now encrypted and stored securely in your keychain. To view it later, select Secure Notes in the Category section, double-click the entry, and enter your Mac user password.

How to Repair the Keychain Using First Aid

If applications are repeatedly asking you to re-enter passwords that should already be saved, or if Keychain Access displays errors, the keychain database may be corrupted. Keychain Access includes a built-in repair tool called Keychain First Aid.

1. Open Keychain Access.
2. Click Keychain Access in the menu bar.
3. Select Keychain First Aid (this option may not be available on the latest macOS versions; in that case, see the alternative method below).
4. Enter your Mac user password.
5. Select Verify to check for problems, or Repair to fix them.
6. Click Start.

On newer macOS versions where Keychain First Aid is no longer available, you can reset the keychain:

1. Open Keychain Access.
2. Click Keychain Access in the menu bar.
3. Select Settings (or Preferences on older versions).
4. Click Reset My Default Keychains.
5. Enter your Mac user password.
6. Restart your Mac.

Warning: Resetting the default keychains will delete all locally stored passwords. Passwords synced via iCloud Keychain will be re-downloaded from iCloud after you sign in again, but any passwords that were only stored locally will be permanently lost.

Keychain Access vs the Passwords App

Starting with macOS Sonoma and later, Apple introduced a dedicated Passwords application (previously this was the Passwords section within System Settings). The Passwords app provides a simpler, more user-friendly interface for managing website and app passwords, passkeys, and Wi-Fi credentials.

However, Keychain Access remains the more powerful tool because it provides access to everything stored in the keychain, including certificates, encryption keys, secure notes, and system-level credentials that the Passwords app does not display.

• Use the Passwords app when you simply need to find or change a website password.
• Use Keychain Access when you need to manage certificates, view Wi-Fi passwords stored in the System keychain, create secure notes, repair keychain corruption, or troubleshoot application credential issues.

Practical Tips

• Enable iCloud Keychain to sync passwords across all your Apple devices. Go to System Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Passwords & Keychain and ensure it is turned on.
• Use the search bar liberally. Keychain Access stores hundreds of entries. Scrolling through them manually is impractical. Always use the search bar to find what you need.
• Regularly audit stored passwords. Periodically search for passwords associated with services you no longer use and delete them. This reduces your attack surface if your keychain data is ever compromised.
• Back up your keychain. Your login keychain file is stored at ~/Library/Keychains/. You can back up this directory as part of your regular Time Machine backups.

Keychain Access is one of the most important utility applications included with macOS. By understanding how to use it, you can retrieve any saved password on your Mac in seconds, securely store sensitive information, manage digital certificates, and resolve the frustrating credential problems that occasionally plague macOS applications.