what happened to keychain access on mac?
keychain access is still on your mac, but passwords now have their own app. apple's keychain access guide describes it as a way to manage certificates, and its tip points you to the passwords app on your mac for all your passwords, passkeys and verification codes.
apple introduced the passwords app with macos sequoia, in a press release dated june 10, 2024, which says the app is built on the foundation of keychain. this guide follows apple's support pages as we read them in november 2026. for other settings that moved, see what happened to system preferences on mac.
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where do things from keychain access live now?
apple's guides split the work between two apps. this table shows where each one points you.
| what you want | where apple points you |
|---|---|
| a website or app password | the passwords app on macos sequoia or later; system settings or safari on macos sonoma or earlier |
| a passkey or verification code | the passwords app |
| a wi-fi password | the passwords app, under wi-fi in the sidebar (apple's wi-fi page) |
| certificates | keychain access |
| a forgotten password stored in a keychain | keychain access can display it |
apple's passwords guide covers app and website passwords, sign in with apple, passkeys, verification codes, wi-fi passwords and passwords shared with groups. it says they work on each device signed in to the same apple account with passwords turned on in icloud settings.
how do you find a saved password on a mac?
apple's saved passwords article, published april 1, 2026, says the passwords app needs macos sequoia. its find a password page gives these steps:
- open the passwords app. apple's article says you sign in with touch id or your user account password.
- type the account name in the search field at the top.
- select the account.
- hold the pointer over the dots next to password to show it.
if your mac has macos sonoma or earlier, apple says to look in system settings, under passwords, or in safari, under settings, then passwords.
how do you open keychain access now?
apple says to search for keychain access in spotlight, then press return. its viewing guide adds that when no keychain list shows, you choose window, then keychain viewer, or press command 1.
to see a password stored in a keychain, apple's forgotten password page gives these steps:
- select a keychain in one of the keychains lists.
- in the category list, click passwords.
- double-click the item and select show password.
- enter your keychain password.
- click allow to show it, always allow to show it without having to select show password, or deny to keep it hidden.
apple says the keychain password is the same as your login password by default, and warns that if you forget your login password, you won't be able to view your other passwords in keychain access.
what if a saved password is missing?
apple's article says to check that you're viewing all of your passwords and passkeys, which in the passwords app means selecting all. it also says to check deleted in the passwords app. if you have multiple apple devices, apple says to make sure icloud keychain is turned on.
where does remynd fit?
in microsoft's work trend index, published may 9, 2023, which surveyed 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers in 31 markets, 62% of respondents said they struggle with spending too much of their workday searching for information. the same survey found 86% were looking for ai to help find the information and answers they need.
remynd records your screen, runs ocr locally with apple vision, and keeps a searchable index on your computer. text comes from the focused window only, and video covers windows you have not excluded.
you can exclude apps and sites, and private browser windows are excluded by default. in our read, the passwords app and keychain access are good first picks for that exclusion list.
press control space to search in plain language, refine by app, date or source, and jump to an exact moment, provided remynd was running then, the window was not excluded and, for text, it was the focused window. it needs macos 14 or later on an apple silicon mac.
limits of this guide
- steps differ between macos versions, as apple's separate sonoma instructions show.
- it does not cover icloud keychain setup, password sharing or importing and exporting.
- we did not test any steps on a specific mac.
download the remynd desktop app and search what you saw in a focused window, by app and date.