Passwords on iPhone: How to Find, Use, and Secure Them

You carry a vault in your pocket – did you know that? For most users, iPhones are about texting, streaming, and maybe taking too many photos. But under the hood, they’re also storing your digital keys: saved passwords for websites, apps, Wi-Fi networks, and many more. But many people have no idea where these passwords on iPhone are stored, or how much control they actually have over them.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to find saved passwords on iPhone across different iOS versions, how to manage them securely, and how to leverage them in smarter, safer ways.

How to Find Saved Passwords on iPhone

The way you access saved passwords and passkeys on an iPhone has changed a lot, especially since the release of iOS 18. Previous versions had everything centered in the Settings app, but iOS 18 brought in a special Passwords app that put all these functions together in one place that's easier to find. This change seems to be a smart move by Apple to make its own password management tools better and more competitive with other companies' offerings, and it might also get more people using Apple's ecosystem. It's really important for users to understand how to access things in different iOS versions.

How to Find Passwords on iPhone (iOS 18 and Later Versions)

Starting with iOS 18, Apple made a big move: they gave passwords their own app.

1. Open the Passwords app. You’ll find it directly on your Home Screen or via Spotlight Search. Just type “Passwords.”
2. Authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID. This is your first layer of security. Only you can access this data.

Interface: The app offers improved organization compared to the previous list view in Settings. Credentials can be filtered or viewed by categories such as "All," "Passkeys," "Wi-Fi," "Verification Codes," and "Shared Groups," providing a cleaner and more structured user experience.

Use the search bar: Want to find your Netflix login or crypto exchange password? Just type the name.

How to Find Passwords in Settings App (iOS 17 and Earlier)

For iPhones running iOS 17 or preceding versions, the primary location for managing saved credentials was within the main Settings app.  

• Go to Settings
• Scroll down and tap Passwords
• Access requires authentication via Face ID, Touch ID, or the device passcode.  

Interface: Saved credentials typically appear in an alphabetical list, organized by the website or application domain they are associated with.

How to Use Siri to Find Saved Passwords on iPhone

Sometimes, the fastest way to get what you need on your iPhone is by just asking. Yes, Siri can help you find saved passwords on iPhone – and it’s surprisingly efficient. No need to dive through menus or tap around in Settings.

Here’s how:

1. Activate Siri by saying “Hey Siri,” or holding the Side button.
2. Say: "Show my passwords" or "Show my Netflix password" (or any other service).
3. Authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode.
4. You’ll be taken straight into the Passwords interface, filtered by your request.

Viewing Saved Passwords

Once you’re inside the Passwords app – or the old Settings > Passwords section for earlier iOS versions – you get access to a lot more than just usernames and passwords. This is where saved passwords on iPhone become powerful tools for managing your digital identity.

Each entry typically includes:

• Website or app name
• Username or email used
• Password (obscured until authenticated)
• Security alerts (like reused or compromised credentials)
• Verification codes for two-factor authentication (if stored)
• Notes for extra context or PINs

Let’s say you’re running multiple accounts under different email aliases – common for privacy-minded users. Saved passwords on iPhone let you label and customize entries, keeping everything sorted and accessible without compromising security.

Moreover, iOS will flag weak or reused passwords. If you see a yellow or red warning, take it seriously. Reused credentials are a goldmine for hackers.

Saving and Adding Passwords on iPhone

Automatically with Safari and Apps

The most common way passwords get saved on iPhone is automatically. When you sign up or log into a website in Safari or an app, iOS offers to remember your credentials. If you say yes, that information gets encrypted and stored in your vault – instantly becoming part of your saved passwords on iPhone.

Next time you visit that site or app, iOS fills in the blanks with Face ID or Touch ID. Seamless? Yes. Secure? Mostly – but it depends on your habits.

Additional considerations:

Strong Password Suggestion: When you create a new account on a supported website or app, iOS can automatically suggest a unique, cryptographically strong password for you. Users are presented with options: "Use Strong Password" accepts the suggestion directly. If you tap "Other Options", you'll see alternatives like editing the suggestion, generating one without special characters, creating an easier-to-type password or choosing to enter a custom password. You can save this generated password using the same prompt mechanism.

Passkey Creation: For websites and apps that support the newer passkey standard, a similar process occurs. Users will be prompted to create and save a passkey, typically involving authentication with Face ID or Touch ID, which securely generates and stores the necessary cryptographic keys in iCloud Keychain.

Troubleshooting: Occasionally, the prompt to save may not appear. Common reasons include having Private Browsing mode enabled in Safari (which prevents saving history and credentials), the specific website explicitly requesting that passwords not be saved, or misconfiguration of the necessary iCloud Keychain or AutoFill settings. Ensuring iCloud Keychain sync is active and AutoFill Passwords is enabled in settings is crucial for this feature to work reliably.

Manually Adding Website and App Passwords

Although automatic saving covers a lot of situations, users might need to add their credentials manually. It's handy for migrating passwords from another manager, adding credentials for sites where AutoFill didn't work, or storing non-website passwords.

Here’s how to manually add saved passwords on iPhone:

1. Go to the Passwords app or Settings > Passwords.
2. Tap the + icon (usually top right).
3. Enter the Website URL, Username, and Password.
4. Optional: Add verification codes and notes.
5. Save.

Enhancing Entries with Notes

As mentioned previously, both automatically saved and manually added entries can be augmented with notes. When adding manually or editing later, you can use the "Notes" field to securely store supplementary information.

Examples of what you might store in the Notes field:

• Recovery codes for 2FA
• Answers to security questions
• Account creation dates or contract details
• Contact info for account managers

This adds valuable context and keeps related security details together.

Editing, Deleting, and Organizing Passwords on iPhone

Keeping an accurate and secure password vault means periodically managing saved entries. This includes updating credentials when they change, removing entries for closed accounts, and organising them effectively.

Modifying Existing Saved Passwords/Usernames

Need to update your Spotify login or correct a typo in that banking username? Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Passwords app (iOS 18) or Settings > Passwords (iOS 17/Earlier)
2. Select the account you want to change.
3. Tap Edit in the top right corner.
4. Update the username, password, or other fields needed.
5. Tap Done to save the changes.

Removing Unwanted Passwords and Passkeys

Some accounts just don’t need to stick around forever. If you’ve closed an account, switched platforms, or simply want to declutter, deleting is simple:

• Open the Passwords app (iOS 18) or Settings > Passwords (iOS 17/Earlier)
• Tap into the password and hit Edit
• Scroll down and tap Delete Password

⚠️ Important Note: Deleting a password or passkey from iCloud Keychain removes it from the user's iPhone and all synced devices. However, this action does not delete or close the actual account on the corresponding website or app service provider. The account itself must be closed separately through the service's own procedures if desired.

Recovering Recently Deleted Items

Accidental deletion can happen. iOS provides a safety net by temporarily holding deleted credentials.

• Functionality: Passwords and passkeys deleted from the main list are typically moved to a "Recently Deleted" section for a limited time (often 30 days, as explicitly mentioned for shared group deletions ) before permanent removal.
• Access (iOS 17/Earlier): Find this section within Settings > Passwords > Recently Deleted.  
• Access (iOS 18): Within the Passwords app, look for a "Recently Deleted" category or filter, consistent with the pattern observed in other system apps.

Using Shared Password Groups (iOS 17 and Later)

In iOS 17 and newer, Apple introduced Shared Password Groups – a secure way to manage credentials with trusted people like family members or coworkers.

Concept: Users can create groups and invite others (who must also be using compatible OS versions like iOS 17+ or macOS Sonoma+). Shared credentials appear alongside personal ones but are marked as shared.

Management: The person who creates the group is the "Group Owner" and is the only one who can add or remove members. All "Group Members" (owner included) can add, view, edit, or delete passwords and passkeys within that specific group at any time. Members can choose to leave a group whenever they wish.

Access: Shared groups are managed within Settings > Passwords in iOS 17 and are integrated into the dedicated Passwords app in iOS 18, appearing as a distinct section.

⚠️ Security Considerations: It's important to understand that if a member is removed from a group (or leaves), they might still have access to the shared credentials until the account owner manually changes the passwords. Also, if a password shared in a group is deleted, the other members are notified and have 30 days to potentially recover it. This feature makes collaboration easy, but you've got to keep an eye on who's in the group and change your password regularly if things change.

How to Disable Password AutoFill on iPhone

While autofill is convenient, it’s not always the right tool – especially if you’re sharing your device, working in sensitive environments, or using a third-party password manager. Thankfully, turning off autofill for saved passwords on iPhone is easy and reversible.

Here’s how (Unified for iOS 16, 17, 18):

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap on General.
3. Scroll down and tap on AutoFill & Passwords.
4. Locate the switch labeled AutoFill Passwords and Passkeys.
5. Toggle this switch to the off position (it will turn gray).

When Should You Disable AutoFill?

• When lending your phone to someone, even briefly.
• In high-security workplaces.
• When testing or managing multiple logins manually.
• When using temporary credentials.

Is iCloud Keychain a Secure Place to Store Your Passwords?

This question comes up often – and for good reason. If you're trusting your iPhone to manage and autofill logins across everything from your email to your banking apps, you'd better know exactly how secure your saved passwords on iPhone really are.

Inside iCloud Keychain: Encryption, Device Lock, and Sync

A fundamental security principle of iCloud Keychain is the use of end-to-end encryption. Data like passwords and passkeys are encrypted on the user's device before being transmitted to Apple's servers and remain encrypted until decrypted on another one of the user's trusted devices. 

Apple uses strong 256-bit AES encryption (the same high-level security standard as in Atomic Mail) for data during storage and transmission. Crucially, because the encryption keys required to decrypt this data are derived from the user's devices and not held by Apple, Apple itself cannot access or read the contents of the user's iCloud Keychain data.

On top of that, syncing across devices (like between your iPhone and Mac) uses strong iCloud encryption. If someone were to intercept the data mid-transfer? They’d see only meaningless scrambled code – not your Netflix login or crypto wallet password.

Standard vs. Advanced Data Protection for iCloud

Here’s a key distinction: Apple offers two levels of data protection – and most users never realize it.

• Standard Data Protection (Default): This is what most iPhone users have enabled. Your saved passwords on iPhone (in Keychain) are always end-to-end encrypted, along with Health data and some other sensitive categories. But your iCloud backups, Photos, Notes, and Drive files? Those are encrypted at rest and in transit, but Apple still holds the keys. That means Apple can help with account recovery – but technically, it could also access those files.
• Advanced Data Protection (Optional): This setting expands end-to-end encryption to nearly everything in iCloud – including backups, notes, and files. Only you can decrypt them. Apple can’t help you recover this data if you lose access – which is both the strength and the risk.

Want to enable it? Go to: Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Advanced Data Protection

However, this feature isn’t globally consistent anymore.

⚠️ Important: In 2025, Apple Removed Advanced Data Protection for UK users due to regulatory pressure. That’s a red flag. If Apple can dial back privacy protections in one region, what’s stopping it elsewhere?

So while your saved passwords on iPhone via Keychain are encrypted, relying solely on Apple for your digital security might not be enough – especially if you're a privacy-conscious users.

Password Health: Using Security Recommendations

iOS includes features designed to help users proactively monitor and improve the security of their stored passwords. It is located in the same place as your passwords.

It identifies:

Reused passwords: Credentials used across multiple websites or apps, increasing risk if one account is compromised.  

Weak passwords: Passwords deemed easily guessable.  

Compromised passwords: Passwords identified as having appeared in known public data breaches (requires enabling "Detect Compromised Passwords"). The feature typically provides direct links or guidance to help the user change the flagged passwords on the respective websites.  

Verification Code Handling: Starting with iOS 17, iOS can automatically fill one-time verification codes sent via SMS or email for 2FA. An option also exists to automatically delete these codes after use to reduce clutter.

 This setting is found in Settings > Passwords > Password Options > Clean Up Automatically (iOS 17) or within the Passwords app settings in iOS 18.

Overall Security Assessment of Apple's Approach

Apple's native password management system offers a robust security posture based on several strengths:

• Strong end-to-end encryption for iCloud Keychain data (passwords, passkeys).
• Secure and forward-looking implementation of passkeys.
• Seamless integration with device biometrics (Face ID/Touch ID) and passcode for access.
• Proactive Password Security Recommendations to encourage better user habits.
• Optional Advanced Data Protection for users seeking maximum cloud data privacy.

However, certain considerations exist:

• The primary access control relies on the device passcode. If the passcode is weak or compromised, the password vault is potentially accessible. This differs from many third-party managers that use a separate, dedicated master password.
• The system is inherently tied to the Apple ecosystem (with some extension to Windows via iCloud for Windows ), limiting seamless use for individuals heavily invested in other platforms like Android or Linux.
• Enabling Advanced Data Protection places the full burden of data recovery on the user, removing Apple's ability to assist.

Local Device Storage vs. Cloud Sync: Privacy Implications

So what if you want more control? The trade-off between local-only password storage vs. cloud sync is simple:

• Cloud sync = convenience and accessibility across all your Apple devices.
• Local-only = tighter control and no external dependencies.

For ultra-sensitive data – like crypto exchange credentials, business logins, or seed phrases – many users are now turning to solutions that go beyond Apple’s ecosystem entirely.

Which brings us to…

Essential Best Practices for Password Security

You’ve learned how to manage saved passwords on iPhone – but what about your habits? Good tools can’t fix bad hygiene. Here are essential password habits you should lock in today:

• Use unique passwords for every account. Don’t reuse. Ever.
• Turn on 2FA everywhere it’s offered. Add a second lock on the door.
• Avoid saving passwords for critical accounts in browsers. iCloud is secure – but browser autofill often isn’t.
• Be alert for phishing. Fake login pages are getting scary good.

And most importantly…

Secure Email = Secure Everything Else

Your email is the master key to your digital life. Lose access to your inbox, and attackers can reset everything from your PayPal to your Instagram. That’s why many security-conscious users – from entrepreneurs to crypto holders – are switching to secure email providers like Atomic Mail.

We’re not just another inbox.
We’re a zero-access, fully encrypted, privacy-first email provider built for a world where data leaks, surveillance, and hacks are no longer hypothetical – they’re daily news.

With Atomic Mail, you get:

✅ End-to-end encryption by default – no backdoors, no exceptions
✅ Seed phrase account recovery – your account, your control
✅ Free email aliases – create additional addresses for different identities or to protect your main inbox
✅ No tracking, no ads, no compromise

Unlike iCloud Mail or Gmail, we can’t read your emails – and neither can anyone else. Your data is yours alone. And if you ever lose access, you recover your account with a private seed phrase, just like with a crypto wallet.

Take back control of your inbox

👉 Sign up for Atomic Mail now – it’s free to start, and built for people who take security seriously.