The Keychain Access app on Mac allows you to view and manage the passwords and other confidential information stored in your keychains. Sometimes, you may need to reset or clear out the passwords stored in your keychains. Here’s how to do it on a Mac.
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What is Keychain Access on Mac
Keychain Access is an app provided by Apple on Mac that allows you to view and control all the passwords and other private information stored in your keychains.
Some things that are stored in your keychains include:
- Usernames and passwords for websites
- Passwords for Wi-Fi networks
- Encryption keys and certificates
- Secure notes
- Credit card information
Keychains allow you to store this sensitive information securely, and Keychain Access enables you to manage it.
Reasons to Reset or Clear Keychain Passwords
Here are some common reasons you may need to reset or clear out the passwords stored in your keychains:
- Forgotten keychain password – If you forget the password for your keychain, you won’t be able to access any of the information stored in it. Resetting the keychain can fix this.
- Resolve issues or corruption – Sometimes keychains can become corrupted, leading to issues with saving or auto-filling passwords. Resetting them may resolve problems.
- New user or transferred Mac – If you set up a Mac for a new user or transferred your Mac to someone else, clearing out the keychains allows the new user to start fresh.
How to Clear All Passwords from Keychains
Follow these steps to completely reset and clear out all passwords and other private data from your keychains:
- Open the Keychain Access app on your Mac. It’s located in the Utilities folder within Applications.
- Click on “Keychain Access” in the menu bar at the top and choose “Preferences”.
- In the window that appears, click the button that says “Reset My Default Keychain”. Keychain Access Reset
- Enter your account login password and click OK. This will reset the login keychain.
- Quit Keychain Access, restart your Mac, and login. This will clear all old passwords and create a fresh blank keychain.
All the confidential information that was stored in your keychains previously will now be erased. You can start saving new passwords, which will now be stored securely with your new login keychain.
How to Remove Individual Passwords
If you just want to remove some individual passwords or entries instead of wiping your entire keychain, follow these steps:
- Open the Keychain Access app and click on “login” under Keychains.
- Find the password or entry you want to delete in the list and right-click on it.
- Choose the “Delete” option.
- Enter your login keychain password when prompted.
- Click Delete to confirm removing the selected entry.
Repeat this for any other individual passwords or private data you want to selectively remove from your keychains. This allows you to clear out some passwords without affecting everything else stored in your keychains.
Tips When Resetting Keychains
Keep these additional tips in mind when resetting your Mac’s keychains:
- Back up your keychain first if you want to be able to recover the passwords later.
- Make sure you know the password for your login keychain before resetting.
- If you use iCloud Keychain, turn that off before resetting your local keychain on each device.
- Reset all devices linked via iCloud Keychain to avoid synchronization issues.
Resetting your Mac’s keychains and clearing out passwords should be simple by following the steps outlined above. Doing so can often resolve common problems and allow you to start fresh if needed. Just make sure you understand what will be deleted before resetting keychains.
