Keychain Access Mac App Store

Shopping-site passwords What shopping sites iTunes Store App Store Mac App Store Didnt exist.

In what may seem like a step backward, we now juggle dozens of passwords.

We have passwords for logging on to our Macs, accessing our iOS devices, checking our email, receiving instant messages and texts, purchasing real and virtual goods, yacking on social networking services, streaming music and moviesthe list goes on and on.

Fortunately, we no longer need to scribble down each and every password on a hunk of binder paper that we tape to our desks in plain sight.

But theres more to know about passwords and the Macs ability to store them than the simple fact that they exist.

Heres a quick guide to what you canand cantdo with OS Xs passwords.

The Keychain Access application (ApplicationsUtilities) is a front-end to that system.

It stores a wide variety of itemsincluding passwords for email, websites, servers, network shares, Wi-Fi networks, and encrypted disk images.

Additionally, it can store secure notes, private keys, and certificates.

Whenever you save a passwordwhether youre prompted by an application or youre saving a websites passwordits stored in the Macs keychain.

The Mac places keychain files in multiple locationsSystemLibraryKeychains, LibraryKeychains, and youruserfolder LibraryKeychains.

Thankfully, the contents of these various keychain files are combined into Keychain Access, so that you neednt worry about where theyre held.

IDG.

Here you can choose to view specific kinds of things stored in the keychainpasswords, secure notes, certificates associated with your account, encryption keys, and certificates used broadly by your Mac.

The largest pane, to the right, displays the contents of selected category itemsfor example, all of the items that have a password associated with them.

Recover passwords Keychain Access can do several useful things.

For example, if youve forgotten a password and would like to recover it, Keychain Access is the place to go.

To learn the identity of a password, select All Items or Passwords in the Category pane, then find the the item you want the password for and double-click it.

Enter that and click Allow, and the password will be revealed in the Password field.

If you seek only to recover saved website passwords and are running Safari under Mountain Lion, your task is easier.

All the websites for which youve saved passwords in Safari will appear in a list.

Enable the Show Passwords option and enter your login password when prompted.

Keychain Access For Mac