- Right-click the.agilekeychainzip file, and choose Rename. Change the underscore in the extension to a period (.). So the extension changes from.agilekeychainzip to.agilekeychain.zip. For example, 1Password 2011-23 (56 items).agilekeychainzip becomes 1Password 2011-23 (56 items).agilekeychain.zip.
- A keychain is an encrypted container that securely stores your account names and passwords for your Mac, apps, servers, and websites, and confidential information, such as credit card numbers or bank account PIN numbers.
- ICloud Keychain is Apple’s password manager. It’s secure, comes included with every Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and includes basic password management features. But it has two problems: it only works on Apple’s browser on Apple devices, and it lacks the additional offered by other password managers.
- ICloud Keychain is a part of iOS package that comes with the device and takes up to 14GB of space out of the box. 1Password takes about 109MB of space, which is sufficient enough to download over.
I recommend regularly that people use some sort of password-management system that lets them set hard-to-crack passwords (whether short and complicated or long and easy to remember) uniquely for every site and service, and also lets them fill in those passwords everywhere they need to.
This could be good news for people eager to avoid pricey subscription services; both 1Password and LastPass charge upwards of $35 for annual access to more security-focused features like 2FA.
Lowell Nelson emailed me a few weeks ago wondering why I’m so hot on third-party options, like 1Password, Dashlane, and LastPass, when Apple has a robust, multiplatform solution of its own that includes synchronization: Keychain. (Keychain more specifically describes the OS X part, while iCloud Keychain allows synchronization across devices and use with iOS.)
It’s a terrific question, and I prefer not telling people to buy into a paid service (whether a one-time fee or a subscription) unless the utility of that utility is so high that it outweighs the cost.
Let’s look through the details. Since I have tested and studied 1Password and LastPass extensively, I use them as the basis of comparison. You should be able to find answers to each of the points below in the FAQs or feature descriptions for any sufficiently robust alternative.
While Apple’s Keychain, 1Password, and LastPass can all store other sorts of data securely, passwords are the most reliable element that can used across a whole ecosystem and across platforms.
How secure is your data?
A password “safe” needs to keep the passwords, well, safe, in three major areas:
Data at rest on a device. Passwords should be secure on a device against anyone but the owner gaining access.
Data stored on servers. It should be difficult or impossible for an attacker to access and decrypt cloud-stored passwords.
Data in transit while being synchronized or to and from Web-based access. Strong encryption should prevent a snooper from unscrambling new entries, retrievals, and updates, as well as interactive sessions.
Keychain and iCloud Keychain are pretty dang robust in these regards. OS X and iOS have to be unlocked to fill Keychain entries, and OS X’s Keychain Access app requires an administrative or user password to unlock and view passwords. With Touch ID or a passcode in iOS and FileVault 2 in OS X, passwords are highly secure as well when you’re shut down (OS X) or locked (iOS). iCloud Keychain uses device-based encryption which prevents Apple from being able to (or being compelled to) decrypt your passwords.
1Password and LastPass use an “expensive” passphrase encryption method for your locally stored databases, so that even if someone gets ahold of them, a cracker can only brute-force password attempts at a very, very slow rate. LastPass tested this unintentionally after a hack: no reports emerged of any password vaults being unlocked.
LastPass syncs everything through its servers, but encrypts with keys known only to users. 1Password syncs via Dropbox and other cloud-based services (relying on their security and encryption-at-rest methods) as well as through its add-on subscriptions for sharing with family or team members, but it locks everything with user-owned keys.
LastPass and the team or family options for 1Password also give you access via a Web browser, and use browser-based decryption instead of native client software; the companies don’t possess your keys. However, there is a weakness in relying on the browser. Malware and other browser-based exploits make browsers much more vulnerable relative to the level of security available through native apps and cloud sync. Safari flaws in iOS and OS X are discovered regularly (though very few are seen in the wild), and you might be tempted to access your passwords from an unfamiliar machine running another OS.
How easy is the system to use?
A password system has to be easily invokable. If it’s not, you won’t use it consistently, because that’s human nature. Worse, if you’re installing it for someone else to improve their security, they may be unlikely to use it at all if it’s not a constant reminder and superbly straightforward.
Keychain is used largely by Apple as a way to remember passwords for specific fields on webpages, and to store passwords for an automatic retrieval and bypass in its software (like AirPort Admin in OS) or with third-party software that uses Apple’s Keychain hooks. In mobile and desktop Safari, Keychain works very well, from suggesting a strong password, to storing it, to making it possible to pull it back up or use other stored alternatives.
But while it’s broadly useful in OS X, as more developers have adopted it and there’s Keychain Access for direct lookups and retrieval, in iOS you have to drill down to Settings > Safari > Passwords to view, edit, or (swipe all the way to the bottom) add passwords. Further, you can’t invoke Keychain in Apple’s non-Web login dialogs, making it useless for common purposes. And while you can make up a password when you need one, it’s awkward to get to and can only be retrieved easily on a corresponding Web page.
Apple’s addition of extensions starting in iOS 8 allows 1Password, LastPass, and other tools to be invoked in Safari and other apps. Many iOS apps I use are tied directly into 1Password’s API that allows direct invocation. In the worst case, I can switch to LastPass or 1Password to find the password, copy it, and then switch back to the app and paste it in.
You can also use the app to create strong passwords that are retained on creation, synced automatically, and copied to the clipboard to use in other apps.
The cross-platform situation is much worse. Apple doesn’t make iCloud Keychain available outside its own operating systems. 1Password and LastPass (and other apps) are available across a broad variety of major platforms, plus they have browser-based access (by default with LastPass and as a subscription option with 1Password).
iCloud Keychain has no mechanism of sharing with other people—part of the ongoing narrative I’ve been discussing for years about how Apple doesn’t designs its systems from the ground up to recognize that people work in groups and as families. (Let’s not get started on the issues with Family Sharing.)
Most password systems have some mechanism to share secrets with others who have accounts. 1Password allows direct transmission without a subscription or, more recently, selectively shared access among members of business and family groups. LastPass, because items are centrally stored, has offered this for years.
Choosing between them
If you’re almost entirely using passwords only on websites, only using iOS and OS X, and don’t mind memorizing and typing in passwords demanded by Apple for its services, Keychain with iCloud Keychain fits the bill. If not all those conditions match, a password-management system is worth the investment.
Update: An earlier version of this story said iOS didn’t provide access to stored passwords or a way to create new ones. It does; it’s just buried in Settings.
1password Vs Keychain Ios
One of the most convenient features of macOS is iCloud Keychain, a service that keeps your Safari website usernames and saved passwords, credit card information, and Wi-Fi passwords up-to-date across all devices associated with the same Apple ID if it is running either OS X 10.9 Mavericks and later, or iOS 7.0.3 and later.
After it is activated, any data stored locally on your computer or iOS device is automatically transferred onto the cloud and the servers that Apple uses to store your data, after which it is then exchanged with all authorized devices.
Hence, you'll always have an up-to-date database of passwords across all the devices that you own. iCloud Keychain is protected by 256-bit AES encryption to store and transmit passwords and credit card information, and also uses elliptic curve asymmetric cryptography and key wrapping – a method of security that ensures all data synced between devices is kept safe.
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Keychain Access
Before iCloud Keychain there was (and still is) Keychain Access, macOS's built-in password manager. To avid Mac users, Keychain Access was usually the app that was storing all their online, email or network server passwords, as well as other password-protected items. All passwords stored locally in your keychain were protected by the user login password: if you didn't have one, that meant the data was unprotected.
As Keychain Access stores your data locally, the only way to keep your data in sync on all devices using this approach is to enter them manually or transfer them via USB stick or the like, a problem that iCloud Keychain solves. The feature lets you share keychains with your other devices in an instant. All device-specific keychains are created and managed from within the iCloud account; you need only activate it.
Just like other, high-quality password managers, iCloud Keychain mainly focuses on keeping your data in sync, while keeping a backup in the cloud so authorized users can recover it in case anything goes wrong (such as losing a device). Just like password management services, iCloud Keychain stores your data locally on your device and updates across approved devices, but it needs to be set up to work that way.
Third Party Password Managers vs Apple's iCloud Keychain
If we compare Apple's password manager to third party services, there are a few aspects that put both parties at an advantage, and so the choice depends on the following factors: price, security and ease of use.
iCloud Keychain has the serious benefit of coming directly from Apple and is deeply integrated into macOS and iOS. When it comes to security iCloud Keychain is a robust service, but password managers such as 1Password, LastPass, or Dashlane, on the other hand, provide a much wider reach. Where iCloud Keychains sync is limited to Apple devices, third party services have the advantage of delivering extensions for multiple web browsers and apps for other popular platforms.
But one of the key features that is able to swing the needle one way or the other is ease of use. A password manager system has to be easily accessible for a seamless consumer experience. If not, you may not use it consistently, so it will fail to deliver on its purpose.
iCloud Keychain is great for remembering passwords on web pages and storing those details, and when you visit a website it will automatically display the username and fill the password in for you, at least if you have set it up in Safari Preferences.
The experience is great on both Mac and iOS, although on the latter it is a nightmare to get access to your passwords. Also, if you are looking to access non-web logins, iCloud Keychain becomes useless.
1password Keychain Mac
That's when third party apps step into the picture and fill the gap that Apple isn’t able to with iCloud Keychain, with seamless sync, cross-platform availability and encryption to protect user data. So, if you are looking for a way to sync not just your passwords and credit cards, but app logins, identities, banking credentials, and much more across all your devices, a third party password manager is the right choice. If your password management needs are only related to the web, then iCloud Keychain is more than sufficient.
Best Password Managers of 2021
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| Editor's Choice 2021 |
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