Get The Most Out of iCloud Keychain
iCloud Keychain can keep track of all of the difficult-to-remember account information that you use on the web. Account names, passwords, even credit card data can all be stored in the iCloud Keychain, and then used by any Mac or iOS device that you authorize to access the iCloud service.
iCloud Keychain uses 256-bit AES encryption, end-to-end, to ensure a secure method of sharing what can be very private data. With iCloud Keychain, any new account data you set up on one Mac or iOS device will be available to all devices you've enabled to share iCloud Keychain data. For example, if you set up a web banking service on your Mac, the next time you use your iPad, that account data will be available to log you into the service. And because iCloud Keychain remembers passwords for you, you can say goodbye to easy-to-remember (and easy-to-crack) passwords that you share across multiple accounts. Instead, you can either create your own highly secure passwords or let iCloud Keychain suggest unique passwords for you.
To help you get started with iCloud Keychain, we've put together a complete guide to setting up the iCloud Keychain service, including how to use stronger security codes, how to add Macs and iOS devices to the service, and how to make changes to iCloud Keychain settings once the service is up and running.
Before you can make use of the iCloud Keychain service, you must set up an iCloud account on your Mac. iCloud provides a number of services above and beyond iCloud Keychain, including syncing services for Mail, Notes, Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, Photostream, and Documents & Data, plus the Back to My Mac and Find My Mac services.
If you don’t already have an iCloud account, or you haven't yet enabled iCloud on your Mac, this guide will get you started.More »
The iCloud Keychain setup process can be a bit convoluted, especially if you're going to use some of the advanced security options, which we highly recommend.
No matter what approach you want to use for setting up iCloud Keychain, we've got you covered in this step-by-step guide.More »
Once you have your main Mac set up to use iCloud Keychain, you're ready to add other Macs or iOS devices. Each device you add will have access to the same set of logins and passwords. iCloud Keychain can even store the credit card information you use when making purchases or paying bills online.
Adding Macs to iCloud Keychain is the focus of this guide. We'll show you the various methods for adding a Mac to the service, as well as how to authenticate your identity to allow a Mac to join the iCloud Keychain service.
If you haven’t yet set up an initial Mac for the iCloud Keychain service, you should read Set Up iCloud Keychain on Your Mac, above, before proceeding.More »
Once you configure your Macs and iOS devices to use iCloud Keychain, you're pretty much free to make use of the service. But there are a couple of changes that you may need to make at some point.
One of the most common changes is to update the SMS-capable phone number associated with the iCloud Keychain service. Although associating a phone number with your iCloud Keychain isn't a requirement, it offers additional security by requiring any new device added to the service to have a verification code sent to that phone number.
While the process of updating the number is an easy one, it may be difficult to figure out where the necessary information is stored, especially since you don't refer to it often.
In addition to updating the phone number, you may want to update the security code, for one reason or another. (You may also have forgotten the code entirely.) Although it's possible to use the iCloud Keychain service without enabling the security code option, we don't recommend it. Like most systems that require usernames and passwords, the iCloud Keychain service has a method for recovering, replacing, or resetting the service when you've forgotten, or want to change, the security code.More »
iCloud keychain is more than just a method of syncing keychain data between Macs and iOS devices. It also provides an automatic method for Safari to provide login data to sites where you have accounts set up. And because you don’t need to retain a paper or text file with all your account data on it, your information is much more secure.
iCloud Keychain has a built-in password generator that can suggest passwords whenever you may need them. But the service is primarily designed for use with Safari. If you use another web browser, you may need a separate application to use as a password safe.
There are a number of password utilities that provide much of the same functionality as iCloud Keychain, including 1Password, a perennial Tom's Mac Software Picks winner and the winner of the 2013 Reader's Choice Awards in the Mac System Utility Category.
iCloud Keychain uses 256-bit AES encryption, end-to-end, to ensure a secure method of sharing what can be very private data. With iCloud Keychain, any new account data you set up on one Mac or iOS device will be available to all devices you've enabled to share iCloud Keychain data. For example, if you set up a web banking service on your Mac, the next time you use your iPad, that account data will be available to log you into the service. And because iCloud Keychain remembers passwords for you, you can say goodbye to easy-to-remember (and easy-to-crack) passwords that you share across multiple accounts. Instead, you can either create your own highly secure passwords or let iCloud Keychain suggest unique passwords for you.
To help you get started with iCloud Keychain, we've put together a complete guide to setting up the iCloud Keychain service, including how to use stronger security codes, how to add Macs and iOS devices to the service, and how to make changes to iCloud Keychain settings once the service is up and running.
•Setting Up an iCloud Account on Your Mac
Before you can make use of the iCloud Keychain service, you must set up an iCloud account on your Mac. iCloud provides a number of services above and beyond iCloud Keychain, including syncing services for Mail, Notes, Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, Photostream, and Documents & Data, plus the Back to My Mac and Find My Mac services.
If you don’t already have an iCloud account, or you haven't yet enabled iCloud on your Mac, this guide will get you started.More »
•Set Up iCloud Keychain on Your Mac
The iCloud Keychain setup process can be a bit convoluted, especially if you're going to use some of the advanced security options, which we highly recommend.
No matter what approach you want to use for setting up iCloud Keychain, we've got you covered in this step-by-step guide.More »
•Setting Up Additional Macs to Use Your iCloud Keychain
Once you have your main Mac set up to use iCloud Keychain, you're ready to add other Macs or iOS devices. Each device you add will have access to the same set of logins and passwords. iCloud Keychain can even store the credit card information you use when making purchases or paying bills online.
Adding Macs to iCloud Keychain is the focus of this guide. We'll show you the various methods for adding a Mac to the service, as well as how to authenticate your identity to allow a Mac to join the iCloud Keychain service.
If you haven’t yet set up an initial Mac for the iCloud Keychain service, you should read Set Up iCloud Keychain on Your Mac, above, before proceeding.More »
•How to Change iCloud Keychain's Security Code and Phone Number
Once you configure your Macs and iOS devices to use iCloud Keychain, you're pretty much free to make use of the service. But there are a couple of changes that you may need to make at some point.
One of the most common changes is to update the SMS-capable phone number associated with the iCloud Keychain service. Although associating a phone number with your iCloud Keychain isn't a requirement, it offers additional security by requiring any new device added to the service to have a verification code sent to that phone number.
While the process of updating the number is an easy one, it may be difficult to figure out where the necessary information is stored, especially since you don't refer to it often.
In addition to updating the phone number, you may want to update the security code, for one reason or another. (You may also have forgotten the code entirely.) Although it's possible to use the iCloud Keychain service without enabling the security code option, we don't recommend it. Like most systems that require usernames and passwords, the iCloud Keychain service has a method for recovering, replacing, or resetting the service when you've forgotten, or want to change, the security code.More »
iCloud Keychain Weaknesses
iCloud keychain is more than just a method of syncing keychain data between Macs and iOS devices. It also provides an automatic method for Safari to provide login data to sites where you have accounts set up. And because you don’t need to retain a paper or text file with all your account data on it, your information is much more secure.
iCloud Keychain has a built-in password generator that can suggest passwords whenever you may need them. But the service is primarily designed for use with Safari. If you use another web browser, you may need a separate application to use as a password safe.
There are a number of password utilities that provide much of the same functionality as iCloud Keychain, including 1Password, a perennial Tom's Mac Software Picks winner and the winner of the 2013 Reader's Choice Awards in the Mac System Utility Category.
