Why are my passwords not syncing between iphone and mac

My passwords on my iCloud Keychain on my MacBook and iPhone are out of sync. There are several new passwords on each device that aren't present on the other. Following a Google search, I logged out of iCloud on my laptop and logged in again but that didn't work.

Is there any way I can force a sync?

Nimesh Neema♦

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asked Jun 22, 2019 at 12:28

This is how you can force an iCloud keychain sync as per Apple Support document, Get help with iCloud Keychain

If you want to sync iCloud Keychain with other devices

Make sure that your new device has the latest version of iOS and the latest version of macOS. Then, make sure that your device is on a Wi-Fi or cellular network. If the connection appears strong, try these steps:

1. Turn off iCloud Keychain on all devices.

2. Turn on iCloud Keychain on the device that has the most up-to-date keychain items.

3. Turn on iCloud Keychain on your other devices. They will be updated with your new iCloud Keychain.

answered Jun 22, 2019 at 12:58

Nimesh Neema♦Nimesh Neema

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I had very little luck with the various Apple approved methods of solving this issue. Nothing would appear on my Macbook’s iCloud Keychain even after very elaborate tricks to turn iCloud Keychain off and on.

What did work was that in frustration I airdropped a single web site password from my iPhone to my Macbook. Subsequently every password appeared in iCloud Keychain on my Mac and subsequent passwords synced over iCloud. (Like the very password saved on this site I just made on my iPhone 5 minutes ago synced over iCloud to the MacBook soon thereafter).

I don’t know why this worked or if it will work for others but worth trying!

answered Aug 4, 2020 at 14:50

None of the above advice worked for me. Here's what did:

1. Shut off iCloud Keychain in Settings (untick the box).
2. Open KeychainAccess.app.
3. Open preferences with <cmd+,> keys.
4. Click Reset My Default Keychains You will lose your local keychain data stored on your computer. But if you're trying to sync with iCloud, the iCloud Keychain is the one you ultimately want.
5. Sign out and sign back in, go to settings, turn on iCloud Keychain (tick the box). Give it a minute to update.
6. Logout and log back in one more time.

I had to play around with this several times. But I think what happens is the forced refresh needs a new login keychain in ~\Library\Keychain

NOTE: Don't touch the encrypted (?) folder with a bunch of random letters. But I did delete the .db files several times while testing. Now my keychain access works!

answered Aug 15, 2021 at 15:18

j7skovj7skov

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Apple Keychain Sync – How to Sync Passwords from iPhone to Mac, or Vice Versa

If you do not want to enter complicated Safari passwords for accounts on your Mac, you can simply set up iCloud Keychain to sync passwords from iPhone to Mac, and vice versa. Whether pairing with an existing iCloud Keychain device, or by using iCloud Keychain recovery, you can sync passwords across all Apple devices within the same iCloud account. Just learn more about the processes and choose the desired one accordingly.

Part 1: How to Sync Passwords from iPhone to Mac

When you need to sync passwords from iPhone to Mac, you only need to enable the password syncing on both devices. After that, the passwords will automatically sync and become available when using Safari. Just find the detailed process you should follow.

How to Set up iCloud Keychain on iPhone

Step 1:

Head to the Settings app on your iPhone, you can tap on your name and choose the iCloud option. After that, you can locate the Keychain option from the drop-down list.

Step 2:

Turn on the option to sync the passwords from iPhone to Mac or other Apple devices within the same account. You should enter your Apple ID password if the screen prompted.

How to Set up iCloud Keychain on Mac

Step 1:

Go to the System Preferences option from your Apple Menu on the MacBook. Click the Apple ID button and choose the iCloud option. After that, choose the toggle on the Keychain option on your MacBook.

Step 2:

Enter the Apple ID and security code you created earlier to process. Of course, you can choose the Request approval option on your iPhone to allow your Mac to use iCloud.

But why do you still need to enter the passwords on your MacBook? Once you have activated iCloud Keychain on your Mac, it only syncs the keychain passwords from iPhone to Mac. You still need to turn on the Auto-Fill feature to auto-fill the password.

Note: For iOS 13 or later/macOS Catalina or later, two-factor authentication is required to turn on iCloud Keychain.

Part 2: How to Sync Passwords from iPhone to iPad

You can use the same method to activate the iCloud Keychain on both iPhone and iPad to sync passwords from iPhone to iPad. Of course, you can simply transfer the password to another nearby Apple device using AirDrop via Apple’s proprietary peer-to-peer file transfer feature.

Step 1:

Make sure you have updated to iOS 12 or later iOS version. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone and choose the Passwords option from the drop-down list to get the passwords. It requires you to authenticate with your Face ID/Touch ID or your passcode.

Step 2:

Tap the saved entry on the list, you can copy the user name or copy the password to transfer. Choose the AirDrop option and select the nearby iPad or iPhone to transfer the password.

Step 3:

When the target iPad received the transferred password, just go to the desired website account on Safari. If it is an updated password, you can tap the Update button to replace the saved password.

Note: Once you have received the password on your iPhone, you can use the Universal Clipboard to paste it, which is a feature that lets you copy and paste across devices. Moreover, the AirDropped password gets automatically saved to your iPad for future use.

Part 3: Best Method to Sync Files between Apple Devices

If you need to sync files between Apple devices, FoneTrans is an intelligent iOS data transfer to transfer all file formats, sync a mega list, manage the iOS data, and use advanced utilities for the files. Whether you need to transfer files from iPhone to Mac, iPhone to iPad, or vice versa, it should be the easy choice you should not miss.

Downloads

FoneTrans

• Transfer the desired files among iOS devices, computers, and iTunes.
• Back up, convert, organize, and manage the files from iOS and macOS.
• Provide toolkits to convert HEIC to JPG/JPEG and make ringtone files.
• ncrypt the backup files and restore the selected files without iTunes.

Part 4: FAQs about Syncing Passwords Across Apple Devices

How to sync passwords across Apple devices safely via AirDrop?

Since the passwords synced via AirDrop are the same as the iCloud Keychain, you have to be concerned about privacy. You can add the target device as a contact and set it to receive from Contact Only instead of Everyone as the AirDrop option.

What kinds of passwords can be transferred via iCloud Keychain?

When you need to transfer an iCloud keychain password, here are the kinds of passwords saved, including Safari usernames and passwords, credit cards, Internet accounts, and Wi-Fi passwords on any Apple device that you have approved previously.

Is it possible to find and transfer the saved password directly?

Yes. iCloud Keychain stores your saved passwords so that you can view or change them at any time. When you need to transfer a password to your friends, you can find the desired information and transfer it with WhatsApp or Facebook instead.

Conclusion

Whether you need to sync passwords from iPhone to Mac or iPhone to iPad, here are two frequently used methods you should know. Just take advantage of the latest AirDrop feature to send the password with encryption, especially when you need to transfer a password from iCloud Keychain to others. When you want to sync all passwords across Apple devices, you can simply turn on Apple Keychain sync for all the devices. To manage and transfer the files between the Apple devices, FoneTrans is the most efficient iOS file transfer program on Windows and Mac.

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