Password manager on Mac

Asya Karapetyan
Content marketer, who specializes in Mac how-to guides
May 3, 2023
7 minutes to read

Most of us use lots of confidential information on our computers—passwords from dozens if not hundreds of sites, documents, bank card numbers, and more. The safest way to store this critical data is using a password manager. This article explains how to see saved passwords on your Mac and provides a list of the best password managers for Mac. Mac password manager icon in a MacBook

Contents

  1. How to view saved passwords in Safari
  2. How to see all saved passwords on Mac
  3. How to remove passwords from Mac
  4. Top popular Mac password managers
  5. FAQs about passwords on Mac

Before we start

Below, we explain how to access passwords on Mac and the best way to store passwords. But first, we want to share a must-have application for every Mac user called MacCleaner Pro.

MacCleaner Pro is an all-in-one software solution to clean up and speed up your Mac. It helps clear all junk files like caches, service files of already-removed applications, duplicate files, unused bulky files, and more. You can drag most junk files manually from the Library folder; however, this isn’t always safe. MacCleaner Pro helps you clean up your Mac safely. It also detects memory-consuming apps, clears RAM, and helps fix a slow Mac.

MacCleaner Pro provides a free trial with unlimited features.

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How to view saved passwords in Safari

The passwords you’ve saved to log into web applications and websites in Safari can be found in the browser’s settings.

To view Safari passwords, follow these steps:

  1. Open Safari and go to its Settings.
  2. Switch to the Passwords tab.
  3. Provide your Mac user password to unlock the keychain.
  4. You’ll see the list of all sites for which you’ve stored login information in the right panel.
  5. Hover your mouse over a hidden password to unhide it.
Passwords tab in Safari settings

How to see saved passwords on Mac

Apple provides a built-in Mac password manager that’s free to use. It’s called iCloud Keychain, and it’s supported by macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices. This password management application saves passwords for Wi-Fi networks, websites, and others you add. You also even add bank card numbers and their expiration dates.

iCloud Keychain automatically fills in password and billing information fields in Safari and third-party apps that support this feature. If you need to see the passwords, you can use Keychain Access.

Another way to look at passwords on your Mac is to use System Settings. We’ll explain both ways to view your Mac passwords.

Finding saved passwords on Mac with Keychain Access:

  1. Open the Keychain Access app. You can find it in the Applications folder or in the Launchpad.
  2. In the search field, type the site for which you want to see login information, then double-click it in the list.
  3. Check Show password.
  4. Provide your Mac user password.
  5. Your password will appear in the password field.

New in macOS Monterey is the ability to import and export passwords. This means you can move logins between iCloud Keychain and other password management applications. Keychain Access window

Finding saved passwords on Mac with System Settings

  1. Go to the Apple menu and select System Settings.
  2. Click Passwords in the left sidebar.
  3. Provide your admin password to unlock the settings.
  4. Select the site or app for which you want to see the password and double-click it. Or click the “i” icon next to the site’s name.
  5. System Settings showing the Passwords section
  6. A new window will open with the login information. Hover your mouse over the hidden password to unhide it.
  7. If you want to copy the password, right-click on it and select Copy Password.
  8. System settings window showing a password for a site

How to remove passwords from Mac

In addition to viewing saved passwords on your Mac, both System Settings and Keychain Access allow you to remove them. Follow the guides below.

  1. Remove passwords from Mac using Keychain Access.
  2. Open Keychain Access from the launchpad.
  3. Select the site or app for which you want to remove your password.
  4. Right-click on it and select Delete.
  5. Confirm deleting the password.
Keychain Access window showing how to remove a password

Remove passwords from Mac using System Settings

  1. Open System Settings on your Mac.
  2. Go to the Passwords section in the sidebar.
  3. Provide your admin password to unhide this section.
  4. Right-click on the site from the list in the right panel.
  5. Select Delete and confirm the deletion.
Confirmation window to delete a password

Remove passwords from Mac Safari

  1. Open Safari.
  2. Go to the brower’s settings.
  3. Switch to the Passwords tab.
  4. Enter your admin password to unlock all the passwords in Safari.
  5. Select the site in the left panel and click the minus (-) button at the bottom.
  6. Confirm deleting the password.
Deleting password in Safari

Top popular Mac password managers

If you want to explore other options besides iCloud Keychain, you can find numerous password managers in the Mac App Store. We’ll take a look at a few of the most popular applications to securely store your passwords.

1Password

1Password is a very intuitive password manager which provides a balance between security and usability. This application supports all popular mobile and desktop operating systems and allows you to store not only passwords from various resources, but also credit card numbers, addresses and lots of other data types. The program uses the AES encryption algorithm for guaranteed security.

LastPass

Another popular option is LastPass, which provides a free plan with unlimited storage. However, this plan can only be used on one device. If you want to synchronize your passwords between different devices, you’ll need to hold a Premium account for $11.99 per year. In addition to synchronization with several devices, going Premium allows you to use YubiKey (USB drive) and provides priority technical support and the ability to securely share passwords with your friends.

Dashlane

This is the only password manager we found that has an extra feature: VPN. Although the VPN is not the best we’ve seen, it’s perfectly adequate for anonymizing your online activity. Dashlane also finds weak and reused passwords and lets you change them in one click.

Keeper

Keeper is the only password manager with a chat feature and end-to-end encrypted messaging functionality. Since privacy is especially important to many Mac users, you can be sure that KeeperChat provides the same level of chat protection as Apple’s iMessage.

NordPass

This password manager comes from the developers of the famous NordVPN service. The program generates reliable combinations of passwords, and it also checks if your accounts have been hacked or credit cards have been compromised. The password autofill feature works with all popular browsers and platforms, and the mobile version of NordPass can save your bank cards by scanning them with your smartphone’s camera.

There are plenty of other password managers for Mac. Tell us in the comments below which password manager is your favorite and why!



FAQs

Does Mac have a built-in password manager?
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