Chrome Passkeys How to Use

Passkeys represent the biggest shift in web authentication since HTTPS became standard. Instead of relying on passwords that can be stolen, leaked, or reused across sites, passkeys use cryptographic key pairs that stay on your devices. Google Chrome has full passkey support built in, making it the easiest browser to start with. This guide walks you through everything you need to know to use passkeys effectively.

Understanding Passkey Fundamentals

A passkey consists of a public key and a private key. The public key gets stored on the website’s server, while the private key remains on your device. When you authenticate, Chrome uses your private key to sign a challenge from the server. This happens locally, and the private key never leaves your device.

Chrome supports two types of passkeys:

Device-bound passkeys - Stored locally on one device, protected by that device’s screen lock
Syncable passkeys - Backed up to your Google Account and available across all your signed-in devices

For most users, syncable passkeys provide the best experience. You get the security of local key storage with the convenience of accessing your accounts from any device where you’re signed into Chrome.

Setting Up Passkeys in Chrome

Before creating passkeys, ensure you’re running Chrome 108 or later. Passkeys require WebAuthn support, which Chrome has included since version 67, but the full user experience improved significantly in later versions.

Checking Your Chrome Version

Click the three-dot menu in the top right, then select “About Google Chrome.” The version number appears at the top. If you’re below 108, update Chrome through this same dialog.

Enabling Passkey Sync

Syncable passkeys require Chrome sync to be enabled. Here’s how to check:

Click your profile icon in the top right of Chrome
Look for “Sync is on” or “Sync is off” beneath your profile name
If sync is off, click it and sign in with your Google Account
Ensure “Passwords and passkeys” is enabled in sync settings

Once sync is enabled, any passkeys you create on one device will automatically appear on your other devices signed into the same Google Account.

Creating Your First Passkey

Many major websites now support passkeys. GitHub, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and numerous other services offer passkey login. Here’s how to create one:

Step-by-Step Passkey Registration

Navigate to a website supporting passkeys (github.com works well for testing)
Log in with your existing credentials if needed
Go to your account settings, then security settings
Look for “Passkeys” or “Passwordless login” options
Click “Add passkey” or “Create passkey”
Chrome will prompt you to confirm

Chrome shows a dialog asking which device to use. If you have multiple devices signed in, you can choose specific devices or allow sync across all devices. Select your preferred option and confirm using your device’s screen lock (PIN, fingerprint, or face recognition).

That’s it. The passkey is now registered. Next time you log in, you’ll see an option to use your passkey instead of a password.

After registering a passkey, logging in becomes remarkably simple:

Visit the website’s login page
Enter your username or email
Instead of a password prompt, you’ll see “Use your passkey”
Click that option
Confirm with your screen lock

The entire process takes seconds. No typing passwords, no copying codes from authenticator apps, no SMS verification waiting.

Managing Passkeys in Chrome

Chrome provides a centralized place to view and manage your passkeys.

Accessing Passkey Management

Click your profile icon in Chrome
Select “Password Manager”
Click the “Passkeys” tab along the top

Here you’ll see every passkey you’ve created, organized by website. Each entry shows the account name, the device where the passkey was created, and when it was last used.

Editing Passkey Nicknames

To keep things organized, you can add custom nicknames to your passkeys:

In the Passkeys tab, find the entry you want to rename
Click the three-dot menu next to it
Select “Edit nickname”
Enter a descriptive name

This helps when you have multiple accounts on the same service.

Deleting Passkeys

If you no longer want a passkey for a particular account:

Go to the Passkeys tab in Password Manager
Find the passkey to remove
Click the three-dot menu and select “Delete”

Note that this only removes the passkey from your local storage and sync. You should also remove the passkey from your account settings on the website itself to fully disassociate it.

Passkeys for Developers

If you’re building web applications, implementing passkey support requires understanding the WebAuthn API. Here’s a practical example showing how registration works:

// Starting passkey registration from the client
async function registerPasskey() {
  const publicKeyCredentialCreationOptions = {
    challenge: generateRandomChallenge(), // Server provides this
    rp: {
      name: "Your Application Name",
      id: "yourdomain.com"
    },
    user: {
      id: encodeUserId(userId), // Unique user identifier
      name: userEmail,
      displayName: userDisplayName
    },
    pubKeyCredParams: [
      { type: "public-key", alg: -7 },  // ES256
      { type: "public-key", alg: -257 } // RS256
    ],
    timeout: 60000,
    authenticatorSelection: {
      authenticatorAttachment: "platform",
      requireResidentKey: true,
      userVerification: "preferred"
    }
  };

  const credential = await navigator.credentials.create({
    publicKey: publicKeyCredentialCreationOptions
  });

  // Send credential.id and attestation to your server
  await sendToServer(credential);
}

The server generates a challenge, the client creates the credential using the browser’s WebAuthn implementation, and the resulting credential data gets sent back for storage. Authentication follows a similar pattern using navigator.credentials.get().

Troubleshooting Common Passkey Issues

Screen Lock Not Recognized

If Chrome says it can’t verify your screen lock, ensure your device’s screen lock is properly set up in your operating system settings. On Mac, this means setting up Touch ID or a password in System Preferences > Security & Privacy. On Windows, ensure you have a PIN or Windows Hello set up.

Passkey Not Available on Website

Not every website supports passkeys yet. Check if the website has a passkey option in their security or account settings. If not, they may add support in the future. You can use the Passkeys Directory to find which major services support passkeys.

Passkeys Not Syncing Between Devices

Verify that Chrome sync is enabled on both devices with the same Google Account. Also check that both devices have Chrome version 108 or later. If one device is missing the passkey, you can manually trigger a sync by going to chrome://settings/syncSetup and clicking “Sync now.”

Security Benefits of Passkeys

Passkeys provide significant security advantages over traditional passwords. Since there’s no password to steal, phishing attempts become ineffective. Database breaches can’t expose your credentials because only your public key exists on the server. Reuse attacks are impossible since each passkey is unique to that specific website and account combination.

The private key never leaves your device and is protected by the operating system’s secure enclave, which means even if someone gains physical access to your device, they can’t use the passkey without your screen lock credentials.

Conclusion

Chrome passkeys offer a secure, convenient alternative to passwords. Setting them up takes minutes, and using them is faster than typing any password. For developers, the WebAuthn API provides a straightforward path to implementing passkey support in your applications. Start converting your most important accounts to passkeys today and experience passwordless authentication at its finest.

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