What the keychain on your Mac is, and which password it wants

Why it happens

Every time you save a password for a website, Wi-Fi network or app, your Mac keeps it in a keychain so you don't have to type it again. The main one, the login keychain, is locked with your Mac login password and opens when you log in. That's why a keychain prompt normally wants the same password you use to log in to your Mac.

How to fix it

1. When a prompt mentions your keychain or login keychain, type the password you use to log in to your Mac and click OK or Allow. For an app you trust, Always Allow stops it asking again.

2. To see your saved passwords, open the Passwords app. Press Command-Space, type Passwords and press Return, then sign in to it with Touch ID or your Mac login password.

   Passwords

3. Search for a website or app in Passwords to find its saved sign-in. Click it to see or copy the password.

4. Want your passwords on your iPhone too? Click your name in System Settings, then iCloud, then Passwords, and turn on Sync this Mac. They then sync to your other devices signed in with the same account.

   Apple Account›iCloud›Passwords›Sync this Mac

Still not fixed?

1. If your Mac password was changed recently and the prompts keep coming, the keychain may still be locked with your old password. Type your old Mac password at the prompt to bring it up to date.

2. If a prompt asks for the password of an account, such as your email, it wants that service's own password, not your Mac password. Check the wording before you type.

3. Older items like certificates and some app passwords are in Keychain Access. Open it with Spotlight: press Command-Space and type Keychain Access.

4. If you can't remember your old password at all, Keychain Access can reset your default keychains, but that deletes the passwords saved in it. Check the Passwords app first and make sure you can get into your important accounts another way.

5. If keychain prompts keep appearing after you've typed the right password and restarted, contact Apple Support. Never type your Mac password into a pop-up you didn't expect from a website or a caller.