The lock-in of Apple’s ecosystem is genuine. To get the most out of Apple services, you must utilize Apple devices. However, the business has eased its hold over time and now offers its services on competing platforms. Recent instances of current practice are iCloud on Windows and Apple Music on Android. Additionally, Apple is introducing iCloud keychain for Windows with the most recent iCloud update. iCloud Keychain is undoubtedly a phrase you’re acquainted with if you’ve ever used a Mac, but iPhone and iCloud users might not be as familiar with it. In a nutshell, iCloud Keychain is the software that controls your iCloud passwords in the background. It actually accomplishes more than this. When Safari prompts you to save your credit card data on a webpage, it is also keeping this information in iCloud Keychain. We mentioned below are the steps to use iCloud Keychain on Windows PC.
Ways to use iCloud Keychain on Windows PC
Setting Up iCloud Passwords in the Desktop App
Think of this as a preliminary configuration to get the Chrome extension to function in your browser. Apple mandates that you use an iOS, iPadOS, or macOS device to authorize the feature on Windows. Here’s what you have to do, presuming you already have Google Chrome and the extension installed: Step 1: Launch the iCloud desktop app on your PC and log in with your Apple ID to get started. Step 2: Once you’re in the app’s main menu, you’ll find that the Passwords option is grayed out. Click on the Approve button next to it to continue. Remember, you won’t be able to check the box if Chrome isn’t installed on your PC. Step 3: Approval is done by signing in with your Apple ID again, but this time, you’ll be required to enter a six-digit verification code as an additional security measure. When you get the following prompt on your other Apple devices, choose Allow to see the code and enter it in the desktop app. Step 4: The Passwords feature will now be marked as checked in the iCloud desktop app. At this point, you’re ready to use the Chrome extension and access your saved passwords on iCloud.
Using iCloud Keychain Passwords in Google Chrome
Before you proceed to the next phase, there is something you need to remember. The extension won’t function until the iCloud desktop application is open in the background of your computer. The app will often minimize to the system tray when closed. Let’s look at the procedures now: Step 1: Open Google Chrome on your PC and visit a website for which you already have a saved password. Make sure you’re on the login page. Step 2: Next, you need to authenticate the extension. Click on the iCloud icon in the toolbar. You’ll be asked to type a six-digit code again. However, this time, the code you need to enter will show up at the bottom-right corner of your desktop via the iCloud app. Step 3: Now, you’ll be able to access the saved password for the website. Click on it to autofill the login form. Step 4: If you want to add new passwords to the iCloud Keychain, manually sign in to a website with the account details to get the following prompt at the bottom-right corner of your screen. Choose Save Password, and you’re set. Step 5: You can update existing passwords that are stored in the iCloud Keychain too. Type the updated password for a website you use and then choose Update Password when you see the popup.
Using iCloud Keychain Passwords in Microsoft Edge
Support for Chrome extensions is one of the intriguing aspects of the new Microsoft Edge built on Chromium. This allows you to install iCloud Passwords in the Windows web browser. Having said that, you must activate the option to install Chrome extensions before you may do so. Step 1: Click on the three dots located next to the profile icon to access more browser options. Now, choose Extensions from the dropdown menu. Step 2: At the bottom-left corner of this menu, you’ll find the option to Allow extensions from other stores. Step 3: Once you’re done, you can follow the steps we covered for Chrome, as everything from setting up to using iCloud Passwords in Edge remains the same.
Final Words
We hope you like our article on how to use iCloud Keychain on Windows PC. Safari uses iCloud Keychain to ask you if you want to save your password when you visit a website. Despite some variations, this works on all Apple devices and, as of recently, Windows. You’ll notice that the name has changed in particular. You hardly ever see any mention of iCloud Keychain on iPhone and iPad. Apple has chosen to use an altogether new moniker for this feature on Windows.
