Skip to main content

How to save passwords on an iPhone

The average person now has somewhere between 70 and 80 passwords to remember. That’s a big number. Rather than recording everything in a notebook or — much worse — using the same password for every account, it’s easier and safer to save passwords on your iPhone. Thanks to the AutoFill feature, you can have your iPhone save passwords and enter them whenever you log in to one of your accounts.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

10 minutes

What You Need

  • iPhone

  • Mac

In this article, we’ll show you how to turn on AutoFill for Safari, as well as go over how to use Apple Keychain on your iPhone and other Apple devices. Both processes should make saving passwords on an iPhone very straightforward.

How to save passwords on an iPhone

To save passwords on your iPhone, you simply need to turn on AutoFill. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Go to Settings.

Step 2: Go to Passwords & Accounts.

Step 3: Tap AutoFill so that the slider is switched into the green "on" position.

You now have AutoFill working on your iPhone. You can use it whenever logging in to an account or creating a new one.

Creating a new account

When creating a new account, it will automatically enter a strong password for you.

Step 1: You can tap Use Strong Password to use that password.

Step 2: You can also tap Choose My Own Password instead. Even when choosing your own password, you can still change your mind and tap Suggested Password at the top of the keyboard, which will enter an automatically generated password.

Regardless of whether you choose a suggested password or your own, AutoFill will remember your saved usernames and passwords and will quickly enter them for you when logging in to an account.

How to use Keychain on iPhone (and other Apple devices)

You don’t need to use Keychain to save passwords on your iPhone. However, if you want to save passwords to your iCloud account and use them across your Apple devices, then you have to use Keychain. Here’s how to activate it on your iPhone.

Step 1: Go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud.

Step 2: Once in your iCloud settings, scroll down and tap Keychain.

Step 3: Lastly, tap iCloud Keychain so that the slider moves into the green "on" position. You can follow the same process to activate Keychain on an iPad.

Step 4: Next, if you want to be able to use your saved passwords on your Mac, you have to do the following:

Step 5: Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud. Note that for MacOS Mojave or earlier, you’ll select iCloud immediately after System Preferences.

Step 6: Click Keychain so that the green check mark appears next to it.

You’ll now be able to enter iPhone passwords into your Mac and vice versa.

Third-party password managers

AutoFill offers the easiest way to save passwords on an iPhone. However, you may be interested in investigating one of the many third-party password manager apps available for iOS. These include Dashlane, 1Password, and Bitwarden — which also save your passwords on your iPhone — enabling you to quickly enter them when logging in to one of your accounts. Some may require a monthly subscription, and they are a little more complicated than AutoFill, but they are generally very good at what they do.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler is a journalist based in London, UK. He covers technology and finance, contributing to such titles as Digital…
The best iPhone 14 cases: 20 best ones you can buy in 2023
OtterBox OtterGrip Symmetry Series case collection in six colors

The iPhone 14 lineup has been out for a while now, but that doesn't make it any less exciting when you get your hands on a shiny new device. The iPhone 14 is a great option, as it provides you with a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display that is gorgeous to look at and up to 512GB storage, with all of that powered by the fast A15 Bionic chip with iOS 16. But since the iPhone 14 starts at $799, that's still a pretty penny, so you'll want to protect your investment.

The best way to protect your iPhone 14 is with a great case. There are plenty of options out there, with something for everyone, but some cases are better than others. Here are some of our favorite iPhone 14 cases that you can grab right now!

Read more
Let’s be clear, Apple — it’s time to make a transparent iPhone
Deep Purple iPhone 14 Pro with Beats Studio Buds+ in Transparent

Apple has released a new product that's gotten a lot of attention because of an awesome new color option. No, it’s not an iPhone, iPad, or even an Apple Watch. Heck, it’s not even the AirPods Pro 2. So, what am I talking about?

Apple acquired Beats by Dre in 2014, and this week, Beats dropped the new Beats Studio Buds+, which are pretty similar to the AirPods Pro 2, but cost less dough. And they come in one of the coolest colors I’ve seen in a long time: transparent.

Read more
iOS 16.5 is bringing two exciting new features to your iPhone
apple launches ios 16 5 new pride wallpapers more wallpaper update

After about a month in the beta testing stage, Apple is finally rolling out iOS 16.5 to the public. This is a surprisingly nice update, as it includes a few new features and some bug fixes.

One of the headliner features of the iOS 16.5 update is the addition of new Pride Celebration wallpapers. This wallpaper can be used for the lock and home screens, and it is meant to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture. This wallpaper is being released ahead of the Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Band, which will be available starting on May 24.

Read more