How To Locate Saved Passwords and Passkeys in the Passwords App on iPhone and iPad
Managing Passwords and Pass Keys in iOS 18
Starting with iOS 18, Apple introduced this new way to manage your passwords and pass keys all within the Passwords app. Honestly, it made a huge difference for me—made finding and copying passwords or pass keys way easier than digging through settings or other apps. That said, it took me a while to get everything working smoothly, especially with some quirks on my device, so here’s what I found out. Hopefully, this helps someone else avoid the same frustration.
How to Access Passwords and Pass Keys in iOS 18
The first step is to open the Passwords app — which is that dedicated app for storing your login info. You can find it right on your Home Screen or go through Settings > Passwords. You’ll need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode—Apple’s way of keeping this stuff under lock and key, even if you’re just quickly trying to grab something. If you’re on an iPad, make sure AutoFill Passwords is turned on in Settings > Passwords & Accounts > AutoFill Passwords. Otherwise, it won’t suggest or autofill your saved credentials when needed.
Once inside, tap the search bar at the top and type in the name of the site or app. If you have tons of saved passwords, this search becomes our best friend—it really helps narrow down what you’re looking for. What was a bit confusing at first was that the results aren’t always straightforward—sometimes accounts are stored in shared groups via iCloud Keychain or Family Sharing. So, if it feels like your password isn’t showing up, double-check those settings too. My shared family logins are there, which is super convenient.
Finding and Viewing Your Credentials
When you finally see your account, just tap on it to open the details. To see the password, tap “Details” and then look for the Display Password toggle—somewhere hidden behind other options, depending on your setup. If it doesn’t appear, make sure Password Autofill is enabled. Honestly, once I understood where to find that toggle, the process felt way smoother. For pass keys—these are the newer, more secure login keys—there’s a dedicated Passkeys section you can tap into. You can view or delete them from there as needed.
If you just need to copy the password temporarily, that’s easy. After revealing it, just tap Copy. Perfect for situations where you need to paste it into another device or app. Be mindful if you’re on shared or public devices—don’t just copy and leave sensitive info lying around, right?
The Convenience of Search and Quick Access
This feature is pretty slick overall, especially since remembering dozens of passwords is a nightmare. Having everything just a tap away from the Passwords app reduces a lot of hassle. But beware—sometimes the search doesn’t reflect the newest saved passwords immediately. This might be a cache delay or sync glitch. If your login isn’t showing up, check Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Keychain to ensure iCloud Keychain is turned on and syncing. Sometimes, I’ve noticed Face ID or Touch ID fails to unlock the Passwords app because of a temporary glitch after a system update, so don’t forget to try that too.
The pass keys section is gradually becoming more important, especially with sites supporting the WebAuthn standard. Setting up pass keys usually happens in the browser or app, but managing them is done right here in Passwords. Apple’s moving toward a more passwordless future, but for now, this shortcut for viewing and managing your credentials is super handy. If you want to enable autofilling pass keys, make sure Allow Passkeys to Fill Forms is enabled in Settings > Passwords.
Troubleshooting and Final Tips
One thing I stumbled on was that sometimes search results seem behind or don’t immediately update after saving new credentials. Usually, signing out and back into iCloud or restarting the device helps clear up oddities. It’s also worth ensuring that iCloud Keychain is enabled and properly syncing—you’d be surprised how often stuff just doesn’t appear because of a simple setting being off. If Face ID or Touch ID isn’t unlocking Passwords as usual, it’s probably a temporary hiccup, but it can also happen if your device is waiting for a system update or there’s a weak connection to the iCloud servers.
Another newer thing is pass keys—these are supposed to replace passwords on supported sites for better security. You generate them in Safari, and they can be managed from this same Passwords section. It might seem a little confusing at first, but once you get used to it, it’s a smooth setup. Just ensure you’ve enabled Allow Passkeys to Fill Forms.
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Honestly, this isn’t perfect — some days I feel like I need a user manual just to navigate it, especially on my older ASUS, where options could be tucked deep in the menus. But overall, it’s a solid update. I’d recommend pairing this with a dedicated password manager if you’re juggling multiple devices or need more advanced features, but for many users, Apple’s built-in system is good enough and, more importantly, syncs seamlessly with iCloud.
Hope this helped — it took me way too long to figure it all out, and I’d hate for anyone else to spend hours like I did. Anyway, hope this saves someone else a weekend.