What Is Keychain Password and Why Is Mac Asking for It?

Your keychain password is the master password you use to access all of the passwords in Keychain Access. Keychain Access is the built-in password manager on your Mac. It stores username and password information for websites, connections and apps and can also suggest strong, unique passwords for you to use when you are creating a new password.

In this article, we’ll tell you why your Mac asks for your keychain password, how to stop it from asking and how to change your keychain password (even if you don’t know what it is).

Common questions about keychain password

Is keychain password the same as Apple ID?

• No

Is keychain password the same as Mac password?

• Probably, but it may not be.

macOS wants to use the ‘login’ keychain

Why is Mac asking for Keychain Password?

If Keychain Access doesn’t have the correct keychain password entered into it, your Mac will start bugging you to enter the password. This could also happen if your Mac hasn’t been used for a period of time, and exactly how long this period of time depends on your settings.

How to stop Mac from asking for the keychain password

If your Mac is bothering you for your keychain password regularly, you can change how often it asks for the password.

1. Open Keychain Access, located in your Utilities folder. Press Command-Space bar and type Keychain Access and hit Enter.
2. From the left sidebar, select login.

3. Now, from the menu bar at the top of your screen, click on Edit, then select Change Settings for Keychain “login”.

4. You can either uncheck the boxes or change the value for Lock after [number] minutes of inactivity.
5. Click Save.

How to change keychain password

You can change your keychain password even if you don’t know what it is. By default, it is your Mac user password.

How to change the password when you know what it is

1. Open Keychain Access. Press Command-Space bar, type Keychain Access and hit Enter.
2. Click on login in the left sidebar.
3. In the menu bar at the top, click on Edit, then select Change Password for Keychain “login”.

4. Now enter your current password, fill in your new password, verify and then click OK.

How to change the password when you don’t know it

You can change the keychain password without knowing it, but unfortunately, this will erase all of the saved usernames and passwords. The new password for your keychain will be your Mac user password.

1. Open Keychain Access. Press Command-Space bar, type Keychain Access and hit Enter
2. From the top menu bar, click on Keychain Access, then select Settings (or Preferences).
3. Click on Reset My Default Keychains.
4. The next time you log in to your Mac when Keychain Access asks for your keychain password, you should enter your Mac user password.

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