How to Export Chrome Passwords to Safari on Mac

For years Safari for Mac offered no way to import passwords from Google Chrome. This alone has made a full switch to Safari quite difficult for longtime Chrome users. Of course, this meant running two browser instances and switching between them for work or fun.

Well, you can manually add all passwords from Chrome to Safari. But this is tedious and a nightmare if you have hundreds of logins stored in Chrome.

Or you could try various workarounds involving multiple browsers or scripts that look sketchy while risking sensitive passwords.

Fortunately, macOS Catalina 10.15.4 has finally added ways to import Chrome passwords directly into Safari. And it’s super easy to do, too. Let’s check how.

Export Chrome Passwords to Safari on Mac

If you haven’t already, be sure to update your Mac to macOS Catalina version 10.15.4 or later. Otherwise, you won’t find the option to export Chrome passwords to Safari. To update your Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Software Update. If there is a new update, install it.

Fly: To check the version of macOS currently installed on your Mac, go to Apple menu > About This Mac > Overview.

It’s also a good idea to briefly open Chrome for a few seconds to give the browser enough time to sync any login details from your Google Account. This will ensure you have the most up-to-date password data downloaded locally to import into Safari.

Don’t forget to exit Chrome completely afterwards (Chrome > Quit Google Chrome). If you don’t, Safari won’t be able to import your passwords.

Are you done? So, here are the steps you need to follow to import your Chrome passwords into Safari on Mac.

Stage 1: Open Safari. Click File in the menu bar, point to Import From, and then click Google Chrome.

Step 2: Check the box next to Passwords. You can also check the boxes next to Bookmarks and History if you want to export these additional data formats from Chrome to Safari. When you’re done, click Import.

Note: You’ll only see the Passwords checkbox if your Mac is running macOS Catalina 10.15.4 or later.

Stage 3: Enter the ‘login’ keychain password (usually the same password as your Mac user account) in the popup. Click Allow to continue.

Step 4: Enter the ‘Login’ keychain password again in the ‘Safari wants to access the key…’ box. Click “Allow”.

Safari will then import your Chrome passwords, but you won’t see any visual prompts or notifications for confirmation.

To check if your passwords were imported successfully, go to Safari > Preferences > Passwords. Enter your user account password when prompted and you will see a list of passwords. The login details you import from Chrome should be merged with previous Safari passwords.

Alternatively, try logging in to a site whose login credentials were originally saved via Chrome. If the passwords are imported without any problems, Safari prompts you to fill in the information automatically.

Tip – Sync Your Safari Passwords to iPhone/iPad

Once you export your Chrome passwords to Safari, they sync seamlessly to your iPhone and iPad thanks to iCloud Keychain.

To view them, go to iPhone/iPad Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Website & App Passwords. If you have AutoFill Passwords enabled, passwords are autofilled in Safari.

Since Safari on iPhone and iPad has no way to copy passwords from Chrome, an ideal workaround is to transfer passwords to a Mac instead and have them synced via iCloud Keychain.

In case your passwords don’t sync with your iPhone or iPad, you should make sure iCloud Keychain is enabled on your Mac and iPhone/iPad. Here’s how to do it.

Stage 1: On Mac, go to Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud. Select iCloud, then check the box next to Keychain.

Step 2: On iPhone and iPad go to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Keychain. Turn on the switch next to iCloud Keychain.

With iCloud Keychain enabled, your passwords should be synced from your Mac to your iPhone or iPad. Don’t forget to go to iPhone/iPad Settings > Passwords & Accounts > Website & App Passwords to confirm. If you still encounter any sync issues, refer to this troubleshooting guide.

Open Borders

Safari may not be the best browser for everyone on Mac. Chrome is actually a superior alternative, with great extension support and great cross-platform availability. But there’s no denying the fact that Safari offers the tightest integration with macOS and the rest of the Apple ecosystem. So having the option to import your Chrome passwords will make the job of eventually switching to Safari a whole lot easier.

So, did you manage to import your Chrome passwords into Safari without any problems? Leave a comment and let us know.

Next: Safari now supports content blockers. Read the article in the next link to find out what Safari content blockers are and whether you should use them.