How to Set Up Passkeys on Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon

A passkey replaces your password with a cryptographic key that lives on your device and unlocks with your fingerprint, face, or screen lock. There is nothing to type, nothing to leak in a breach, and nothing a fake login page can steal. Most guides cover one company. This one covers the four accounts most people use daily: Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.

What you need before you start

Passkeys need a reasonably modern device and browser. These are Google's published minimums:

Other services set their own floor. Amazon, for example, lists iOS 16, macOS Big Sur, Android 9 and Windows 11.

Also turn on a screen lock on your phone. If you want to approve a computer sign-in from your phone, turn on Bluetooth. On iPhone, iPad and Mac, iCloud Keychain and two-factor authentication must be on.

How to set up a passkey on a Google account

1. Open myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys on the device you want to use.
2. Select Create a passkey, then select Create a passkey again.
3. Unlock the device with your fingerprint, face, PIN or pattern.

Using a hardware security key instead? Select Create a passkey, then Use another device, insert the key, and enter its PIN or touch its sensor. Repeat the steps on every device you want to sign in from. Google says you may need to wait up to 7 days before a new passkey is available at sign-in.

Creating a passkey switches your account to passkey-first sign-in (the Skip password when possible setting). To go back to password-first, open your Google Account, go to Security & sign-in, and under "How you sign in to Google" turn that setting off. If you use 2-Step Verification, any of your passkeys can then act as the second step.

To remove one, go to Security & sign-in, then under "How you sign in to Google" select Passkeys and security keys, choose the passkey and select Remove.

How to set up a passkey on a Microsoft account

1. On the device you want to use, sign in at account.live.com/proofs/manage (Advanced security options).
2. Select Add a new way to sign in or verify.
3. Select Face, Fingerprint, PIN, or Security Key and follow the prompts.
4. Select Continue or Create to save it in the suggested place, or Change or Save another way to pick a different one.

You can save the passkey in Microsoft Password Manager or another synced credential manager (Google Password Manager, iCloud Keychain and others), on a phone or tablet by scanning a QR code, on a security key, or locally with Windows Hello. Microsoft may hide the Windows Hello option if you already saved a passkey to a synced manager.

In Microsoft Edge you can let the browser create passkeys for you on sites that offer them: go to Settings, Passwords and autofill, Microsoft Password Manager, More settings, and turn on Automatically upgrade to passkeys.

To remove a Microsoft account passkey, sign in at account.live.com/proofs/manage, expand the passkey entry and select Remove. Add another sign-in method first: if you remove all security info, Microsoft locks security and billing changes on the account for 30 days. A passkey saved only to your PC with Windows Hello is deleted separately in Windows Settings, Accounts, Passkeys.

Work or school accounts are different. They use mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info and Add sign-in method, and only work if your organization allows passkeys.

How to set up a passkey on an Amazon account

1. Open Your Account and select Login & security.
2. Select Set up beside Passkeys, then select Set up again.
3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

Amazon saves the passkey to your passkey provider, such as your Apple Account or Google account, so it works on every device signed in to that provider. You can create only one passkey per provider, and you can still sign in with your Amazon password if you prefer.

How passkeys work on Apple devices

Apple has no single "turn on passkeys" page. Passkeys sync through iCloud Keychain, which Apple cannot read, and your Apple Account must have two-factor authentication and iCloud Keychain turned on.

To create a passkey for a website or app on iPhone (the steps on iPad and Mac are similar):

1. Go to the sign-in screen of a site or app that supports passkeys. For a new account, start sign-up. For an existing account, sign in with your password and open its account or security settings.
2. When you see the option to save a passkey, tap Continue.
3. Approve with Face ID or Touch ID (or your device passcode).

The passkey is saved in the Passwords app (iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia or later), under the same account as any password for that site. If you do not see a passkey option, the site or app does not support passkeys yet. To save to a hardware security key instead, choose Other options or Save on another device when it is offered.

To delete one, open the Passwords app, tap Passkeys, tap the account, tap Edit, then Delete and Delete Passkey.

Because passkeys live in iCloud Keychain, they appear on every device signed in to the same Apple Account. If you lose every device, iCloud Keychain recovery can restore them: you sign in with your Apple Account password, respond to an SMS sent to your trusted number, and enter the passcode of an old device. You get 10 passcode attempts, after which the recovery record is destroyed.

Which should you pick: iCloud, Google, or a password manager?

• All Apple devices: iCloud Keychain, because it is built in.
• Android plus Chrome: Google Password Manager.
• Mixed devices (Windows PC, iPhone, Android): a cross-platform credential manager, so the passkeys follow you everywhere. Microsoft's save prompt lets you pick another synced manager.

Do not scatter one account's passkeys across too many places. If Google keeps prompting for a passkey you already removed, Google says to delete it from your third-party credential manager as well.

What if you lose your phone?

Sign in on another device and remove the lost device's passkey from your account's security page. Keep a recovery method on every account (backup codes or a second passkey on another device) so a lost phone never locks you out. If a breach made you look at passkeys in the first place, see how to check if your password was leaked. For more on locking down accounts, see Facebook security and privacy settings and our list of the best privacy browsers.

FAQs

Are passkeys safer than passwords?

Yes for most threats. A passkey never leaves your device or credential manager, so it cannot be phished or exposed in a server breach the way a reused password can. The weak point is your device lock, which is why you should only create them on devices you own.

Do I still need my password?

Usually it stays as a fallback. Google, Microsoft and Amazon all keep your password on the account. On Google you can switch back to password-first sign-in by turning off Skip password when possible.

Can I use a passkey on a different phone or computer?

Yes. Synced passkeys follow you across devices signed in to the same Apple, Google or Microsoft account. On a computer that does not have your passkey, pick the option to use a passkey from another device or a nearby phone, scan the QR code with the phone that holds it, and keep Bluetooth on.

Do passkeys work in Incognito or private windows?

Not always. Google says some operating systems and browsers do not let you create or use passkeys in Incognito mode.

How do I delete a passkey?

On Google, go to Security & sign-in, then Passkeys and security keys, select it and choose Remove. On Microsoft, sign in at account.live.com/proofs/manage, expand the passkey and select Remove. On Amazon, use Amazon's Delete a Passkey help page. On iPhone, open the Passwords app, tap Passkeys, pick the account, then Edit and Delete.