How to Backup or Export Passwords on Mac
Reading Time: 3 minutes Backups are generally a good idea for all of the data on your devices. One thing that many people still fear is losing their passwords. If you are using Mac’s built-in password manager, you can save a copy of your passwords, either as a file on your computer or external drive, or you can print out a paper copy to store in your file cabinet. The same process can also help export your passwords so that you can import them into a different password manager or import them on another computer.
Exporting passwords on Apple devices
If you are wondering about exporting passwords from an iPhone, it is not currently possible–unless you would like to export them one by one. So, the next best thing is to export them from a Mac. If you do not own a Mac, you can still do this by borrowing a friend’s Mac.
If you are borrowing a Mac, you will need to create a new user on your friend’s Mac, sign in to your Apple ID, and then proceed with the steps below. When you are done using your friend’s Mac, and you have printed your passwords or exported them to one of your own devices or storage, you should delete the password file you created and sign out of your Apple ID on your friend’s machine.
How to export passwords on Mac
- Open Passwords in System Settings: Click on the Apple menu and select System Settings, then scroll down and click on Passwords. Enter your user password.
- Click on the More (three dots) button and select Export All Passwords.
- Click on Export Passwords, choose a filename and location and click Save. Your passwords will be saved as a CSV file.
- Enter your Mac user password and click OK.
- After you have exported your passwords, the CSV file can be opened in Numbers or Excel. From there, you can print the spreadsheet. You can also choose that file when importing the passwords into another password manager.
If you have security concerns, and your goal was to either import the passwords into another password program or to print the passwords, you can delete the CSV file containing all of your passwords by placing it in the trash and then emptying the trash.
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