How to import your passwords into Apple’s iCloud keychain via Safari

If you switch from LastPass (or another password manager you are unhappy with), you may be prompted to simply go with the password manager along with your browser or operating system. This is definitely an easy and reasonable solution, depending on your point of view. Until recently, it was known that third-party password managers were more secure, but Apple and Google worked to make their built-in password managers more secure, while Microsoft added one to its authentication app. It can therefore be a viable choice.

However, one way to not resist these built-in password managers against their independent competitors is how cumbersome it can be to get existing passwords into their systems.

If you tend to go through the Apple ecosystem, that means using Safari for your passwords and transferring it to your other devices with Apple’s iCloud Keychain. Here’s how you can move your password data to iCloud Keychain.

Make sure you have a keychain

iCloud Keychain is how Apple syncs your information across devices – not just passwords, but also credit card information, Wi-Fi passwords, and more. on. (If you plan to use your passwords on your mobile iOS device as well, you can also check them there.)

Using a macOS device:

  • Go to your System Preferences app by clicking the Apple icon in the upper left corner
  • Click on iCloud if you have MacOS Mojave or earlier. Otherwise, choose Apple ID> iCloud.
  • Go through the list of apps and make sure Keychain is checked

Make sure you have an iCloud keychain.

Make sure you have an iCloud keychain.

Using an iOS device:

  • Go to Settings and tap on your name
  • Tap iCloud and scroll to Keychain
  • If Keychain is off, tap the entry and then turn it on

Enter your password data

To get your data in Keychain, you need to import it into Safari on your Mac. Simple, right? Well, not really.

Unfortunately, unlike most password managers, you cannot enter passwords from a CSV file in Safari. However, you can enter passwords from Firefox or Chrome. So if you have a CSV file from another password manager and you do not have one of the browsers on your computer, you must first install one of these and load your passwords on it. (You can find instructions for entering passwords in Chrome and Firefox here.)

After entering your passwords in one of the other browsers:

  • Close the other browser
  • Open Safari, go to File> Import from and choose Chrome or Firefox. You can enter bookmarks, history, passwords or any combination of them by checking the appropriate boxes.

One note: I had a series of accidents trying to import from Firefox to Safari. Safari will always crash, even after making a series of adjustments to Firefox. I finally gave up and tried it with Chrome, and the input worked immediately. Your mileage may vary.

You can check if the entry worked by going to Safari’s main menu and choosing Safari> Preferences> Passwords. (You must enter your user password to access the password list.) Your passwords should appear here.

After entering your passwords in Safari, it should be automatically picked up by iCloud Keychain and used on all your approved devices. You can check this by tapping and clicking “Keychain Access” using Spotlight Search. This should reveal your keychain app; you can click on iCloud in the column at the top left and “Passwords” at the bottom left to see your entered passwords.

You must find your passwords in Keychain Access (for obvious reasons some data is gray).

You must find your passwords in Keychain Access. (For obvious reasons, some data are gray.)

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