Passwords have always been a necessary evil, choosing to use something too simple (so you can remember it easily) or something vague enough to be secure, but complex enough to require a password manager.
Until now, the best way to keep your accounts secure was to partner a password with two-factor authentication (2FA). But now, Google offers another choice: using a password — a secure credential linked to the PIN or biometric authentication your device already uses. The password is only on your device, not in the cloud, which is even more secure.
Want to try? Here’s how.
Now, you can create a password Any compatible hardware, including laptops / desktops running Windows 10 or MacOS Ventura (or later) Chrome 109, Safari 16 or Edge 109 or later. If you’re setting up a passkey on a mobile phone or tablet, it must be running iOS 16 or Android 9 (or later). It can be used with any hardware security key that supports the FIDO2 protocol.
You’ll also need to enable screen lock, and if you want to use your phone to log in to another device, such as a laptop, you’ll also need to enable Bluetooth.
Finally, if you have a Google Workspace account through a school or employer, you can’t set a passkey for that account. (However, you can use this for any personal Google account.)
You can remove a device from your list of passkeys—if it’s a passkey you created.
If the passkey was automatically generated by Google, you can’t delete it — instead, you’ll need to log the device out of the account.
Yes. If you prefer, you can go back to using passwords and 2FA as before. (Note: Passkeys are still part of the account; they are not used.)
