How to Set Up Passkeys on iPhone, Android, and Windows (Ditch Passwords for Good)

Passwords get stolen, forgotten, and reused on too many sites. Passkeys fix that. A passkey lets you sign in with just your fingerprint, face scan, or device PIN, so there’s no password to type, forget, or leak in a data breach. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have all made passkeys a standard sign in option, and more sites add support every month.

This guide walks you through creating and using a passkey on iPhone, Android, and Windows 11, plus how to add one to your Google, Microsoft, and Amazon accounts. By the end, you’ll be signing in faster, with far less risk of getting phished.

Quick Answer

To set up a passkey, open the security or sign in settings of the app or account you want to protect (for example, Settings > Passwords on iPhone, or your Google, Microsoft, or Amazon account security page), choose Create a passkey or Add a new way to sign in, then confirm with your fingerprint, face scan, or device PIN. The passkey saves to your device’s built in password manager, iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager, or Windows Hello, and syncs automatically to your other signed in devices.

Before You Start

• iPhone or iPad: iOS 16 or later, with Face ID or Touch ID and two factor authentication turned on for your Apple Account
• Android: Android 9 or later, with a screen lock (PIN, pattern, or biometric) already set up
• Windows: Windows 11 with Windows Hello configured (face, fingerprint, or PIN)
• Browser: a recent version of Chrome, Edge, Safari, or Firefox
• Time needed: about 5 to 10 minutes per account

Why passkeys are safer than passwords

A password is a shared secret. You type it into a website, the website stores a version of it, and if that website ever gets breached, your password can leak. That’s exactly what keeps happening, most recently with the kind of browser and account tracking issues covered in our report on how ChatGPT was tracking users across the web.

A passkey works differently. When you create one, your device generates a private key that never leaves it, and a matching public key that gets stored on the website’s server. There is no shared secret to steal, guess, or reuse on another site, which is why Apple, Google, and Microsoft all describe passkeys as phishing resistant. Your fingerprint or face scan never leaves your device either. It only unlocks the passkey locally.

How to create a passkey on iPhone or iPad

1. Open Settings, then tap Passwords (on iOS 18 and later, you can also open the dedicated Passwords app).
2. Turn on Face ID or Touch ID for the Passwords app if you’re asked, so it can verify it’s really you.
3. When you sign up or sign in to a supporting site or app, look for Create a Passkey or Use a Passkey Instead during the sign in screen, or open the account’s own security settings and look for a passkey option there.
4. Tap Continue, then confirm with Face ID or Touch ID.

Your passkey saves automatically to iCloud Keychain and syncs to every Apple device signed in with the same Apple Account. To sign in later, tap the username field on that site or app. AutoFill will suggest your saved passkey. Confirm with Face ID or Touch ID and you’re in, no password needed. If you’re setting up a new iPhone, our guide on installing iOS 27 covers the setup steps that also get Face ID and the Passwords app ready to go.

How to create a passkey for your Google Account (Android and web)

1. On your Android phone, or in a browser on any device, go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys.
2. Sign in to your Google Account if you’re asked.
3. Tap Create a passkey.
4. Confirm with your fingerprint, face unlock, or screen lock PIN.

The passkey saves to Google Password Manager and syncs across Android devices signed into the same Google Account, plus Chrome on any device you’re signed into. This needs Android 9 or later, and a screen lock already set up on the phone.

How to create and save a passkey on Windows 11

Make sure Windows Hello is already set up first, under Settings > Accounts > Sign in options. Then, to add a passkey for a Microsoft account:

1. Sign in at account.live.com/proofs/manage in your browser.
2. Select Add a new way to sign in or verify.
3. Choose Face, Fingerprint, PIN, or Security Key.
4. Pick where to save it: this Windows device (Windows Hello), a mobile device, or a physical security key.
5. Confirm with the Windows Hello prompt, using your face, fingerprint, or PIN.

The passkey is saved locally to your Windows device through Windows Hello, and from then on you’ll be prompted for your face, fingerprint, or PIN instead of a password whenever you sign in. Many non-Microsoft sites also let Windows 11 save a passkey the same way through the browser’s built in passkey manager. Keeping your PC current also helps, so if you haven’t yet, see our guide on getting the latest Windows 11 update.

How to add a passkey to your Amazon account

1. Sign in to Amazon on the website or in the Amazon app.
2. Go to Login & Security in your account settings.
3. Find the passkey or face, fingerprint, and PIN sign in option, and select Set Up or Turn On.
4. Confirm with your device’s fingerprint, face scan, or PIN prompt.

Amazon periodically refreshes the wording of these settings, so if a label doesn’t match exactly, look for anything mentioning “passkey” or “face, fingerprint, or PIN” inside Login & Security.

How to view, manage, or delete a passkey

• iPhone, iPad, or Mac: open Settings > Passwords (or the Passwords app), tap the account, then view or delete the passkey.
• Android or Google Account: go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys, tap the passkey, then remove it.
• Windows or Microsoft account: go to account.live.com/proofs/manage and manage your sign in methods from there.

It’s worth checking this list every so often and removing passkeys tied to devices you no longer own.

Fixing common passkey problems

The passkey option isn’t showing up

Not every site supports passkeys yet, and older browser or operating system versions can hide the option even on sites that do. Update your browser, iOS, Android, or Windows version and try again. Keeping software current also closes real security holes, the way our coverage of a recent Chrome update fixing a zero day flaw explains.

A passkey isn’t syncing to your other device

Check that both devices are signed into the same Apple Account, Google Account, or Microsoft account, and that iCloud Keychain, Google Password Manager sync, or Windows Hello cross device sync is switched on in each device’s settings.

You lost or replaced the phone your passkeys were on

Sign in on a browser or another device using a passkey that’s already synced there, or use the account’s normal recovery method. Once you’re in, create a fresh passkey on the new device, then go back and remove the passkey tied to the lost phone from that account’s security settings, so it can’t be used if the old phone turns up in the wrong hands.

Both a passkey and a password are listed on your account

That’s normal. Most services let you keep a password as a backup while you get comfortable with passkeys. You can remove the password later from the account’s security settings if you want to, though there’s no rush to do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are passkeys actually safer than passwords?

Yes. A passkey isn’t a secret you type in, so it can’t be phished, guessed, or reused from a leaked password list the way a regular password can.

Can someone unlock my accounts if they steal my phone?

Not without also unlocking your phone itself with your fingerprint, face, or passcode. Treat a stolen or missing phone the way you always would, lock it remotely and sign out of your accounts from another device as soon as you can.

What happens if I lose the only device with my passkeys on it?

Sign in on another device that already has a synced passkey, or use your account’s normal recovery process. Then create a new passkey on your replacement device and remove the old one from your account settings.

Do I have to delete my password once I set up a passkey?

No. Most accounts let a passkey and a password exist side by side, so you can switch over at your own pace.

Is a passkey the same thing as two factor authentication?

Not exactly, but it covers similar ground. A passkey already combines something you have, your device, with something you are or know, your biometric or PIN, so most services treat it as a complete sign in on its own.

Will a passkey work on every website?

Only on sites and apps that have added support for the passkey (FIDO2) standard. That list is growing fast, but plenty of smaller sites still rely on passwords only.

Final advice

Don’t try to switch every account over at once. Start with the ones that matter most, your email, your Apple, Google, or Microsoft account, and any banking or shopping app that offers passkeys, like Amazon. Add more as you come across the option while signing in normally. Within a few weeks, most of your daily logins will be a fingerprint or a glance instead of a typed password, and that alone closes off one of the most common ways accounts get broken into.