Ever wondered about keychains? I’m sure you’ve heard of them. They often dangle from a bag or belt loop. Or entertain babies. Occasionally, they even provide the resources to open locks.

The same concept plays out on your Mac and iPhone. The keys are your account names and passwords. The locks are the websites and networks you or your computer sign into so you can access their services.

Saved credentials are often accessible in the Keychain Access utility on Mac and via Settings > Passwords on iPhone.

Keychain Access on Mac

Applications store passwords and other private information in your keychain, secured by your computer password. You’ll find Keychain Access in your Utilities folder, which you can show via the Finder’s Go menu. You can also use Spotlight to find and open Keychain Access.

The app’s design has changed very little in 20 years. It shows a list of the passwords, certificates, keys, and secure notes stored there. Applications like Safari use the Keychain service to look up and fill in account credentials saved there.

To reveal the password stored for a website, application, network, etc., open the listing, click the Show password checkbox, and enter your keychain password, which is normally your computer password. Keychain Access is by no means a convenient way to reveal multiple passwords, though, because you must authenticate every time.

Hot Tip: If you can’t remember the password you’ve used to connect to a wireless network at home or elsewhere, you can probably look it up in Keychain Access. (This capability still isn’t offered on your iPhone, so feel free to send Apple feedback to request it.) [Update: As of iOS 16, you can look up Wi-Fi network passwords in Settings.]

Autofill Passwords on Mac

Safari sources website credentials directly from Keychain. When you visit a website and want to sign in, click in the username or password field. Safari will likely offer you to choose the account — or from among the multiple accounts — you’ve stored for the site.

If you use Touch ID on your Mac, Safari will ask for your finger to authenticate before filling in the info.

When creating a new password for a website, Safari will offer to generate a strong password for you, which it will automatically store in your Keychain. This works well when it works. Unfortunately, Safari’s generator doesn’t always satisfy the strict password requirements of some websites.

Passwords List on iPhone

On iPhone, visit Settings > Passwords to see the list of websites for which you’ve saved your login credentials. (On earlier versions of iOS, this Settings category may be called Passwords & Accounts or Accounts & Passwords, with Website & App Passwords inside.)

After using Touch ID or Face ID to authenticate the Passwords area, you can look up any number of entries. In viewing mode, you can tap any username or password for the option to copy. Tap the Safari icon next to a website to visit the site.

Autofill Passwords on iPhone

In Safari, when you visit a website for which you have credentials stored — or in an app — just tap in the username or password field. The account name you use frequently or recently with this website is offered at the bottom or shown above the keyboard.

If you have multiple accounts or don’t see the one you want, tap the key icon on the right. This reveals other usernames from which to choose and the option to search available password storage areas such as iCloud Keychain or 1Password. If you prefer to type your information manually, tap the keyboard icon on the left.

When creating a new password, Safari may offer to create a strong password for you. If it does not, tap the key icon and then Suggest New Password.

Your Mac and iPhone offer a lot of support to help you be secure in the wide world of the Internet. I wrote briefly about 1Password in one of the earliest editions of Mac Mondays and I’ll follow up soon with more insights about this valuable tool.

In the meantime, what are you doing to keep your identity and private information safe from prying eyes?