Apple’s ecosystem lockdown is real. To get the most out of Apple services, you need to use Apple hardware. But over time, the company loosened its grip and made its services available on competing platforms. Apple Music on Android and iCloud on Windows are recent examples of the app available. And with the latest iCloud update, Apple is releasing iCloud passwords on Windows. Here’s how to use it.
iCloud Keychain is Apple’s built-in password manager that is shared between the Apple devices you own. It provides a seamless experience to sign in to apps and services.
Before iCloud Passwords came to Windows, you had to export passwords from a file and then import them using a third-party password manager. The time-consuming process is now over. You can now easily use and integrate iCloud passwords on Windows and with the default Microsoft Edge browser.
Set iCloud Password on Windows
Apple has not launched a separate application in Windows to allow users to access passwords stored in the iCloud keychain. iCloud Passwords are part of iCloud. To enable iCloud Passwords on Windows, you need to use the iCloud app. There is no separate app for this in the Microsoft Store.
Apple added Passwords toggle to iCloud app on Windows.
Let’s set up iCloud on Windows and access passwords.
Stage 1: Open the Microsoft Store app on Windows.
Step 2: Search iCloud and download the app to your Windows machine.
iCloud is around 550MB on Windows. Use a fast internet connection to download the application to your computer. Since you downloaded the iCloud app from the Microsoft Store, you don’t need to go through any installation process.
Stage 3: Open the iCloud app and sign in using your Apple account credentials.
Apple will ask you to verify your identity by adding a verification code. The company will send you this code on other Apple devices running the same Apple ID.
Step 4: Enter the verification code and press the Continue button.
This much. iCloud home is ready to serve you. You’ll find your iCloud Drive, Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Safari Bookmarks and of course Passwords synced to the Windows device.
By default, Password toggle is enabled and will prompt you to integrate it with installed browsers on your Windows computer.
Keep the passwords toggle enabled and hit the Apply button at the bottom to apply the changes.
Use iCloud Passwords App
With the iCloud app installed on Windows, you’ve now also enabled iCloud Passwords.
Press the Windows key and search for iCloud Passwords. Open the app and sign in using Windows Hello authentication. If your Windows device doesn’t have Hello biometrics, you can also use a PIN to access iCloud Passwords.
In short, user authentication must be set up on your Windows device to access and use iCloud Passwords.
If you haven’t set up this type of authentication, the app will guide you to set it up from the Windows Settings app.
In our testing, iCloud Passwords asked us to confirm the app from the iCloud app. So we turned iCloud back on and re-enabled Passwords.
Turn iCloud Passwords back on, confirm your identity and iCloud Passwords will sync the data stored in iCloud Keychain app.
iCloud Password App Overview
Surprisingly, Apple nailed the UI with the iCloud Passwords app on Windows. It uses Microsoft fluent design language with a beautiful translucent effect in the sidebar.
Users can add new entries, edit existing ones, copy passwords and even delete website data from the app.
Unfortunately, there is no password generator that we get on Apple devices. It’s also missing a dedicated Settings page that lets you change the auto-lock time. By default, it is set to about two minutes. You will need to keep logging into the app frequently.
Use iCloud Passwords with Microsoft Edge on Windows
A dedicated app is fine, but a browser extension is essential when using a password manager. Follow the steps below to install the iCloud Passwords extension with Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome on Windows.
Stage 1: Open the iCloud app on Windows.
Step 2: Under the Passwords section, next to With Microsoft Edge, select Install Extension.
Stage 3: Use the Download button to open the Microsoft Edge Add-on store on the web.
Step 4: Click Get and add the extension to the Edge browser.
Step 5: Select the iCloud Passwords extension and it will ask for authentication. You will now get this code on your Windows machine as you have already installed the iCloud app.
Add code to enable iCloud Passwords extension in Microsoft Edge and you are all set to use iCloud Password to fill in browser login details.
Integrate iCloud Passwords on Windows
The arrival of iCloud Passwords on Windows can be a boon for someone migrating from Mac to Windows. You no longer need to export/import passwords. Instead, set Passwords from the iCloud app and you’re ready to use iCloud Passwords on your Windows machine.
