When you create a passkey on Windows, it is usually saved locally on your device and protected by Windows Hello, which uses a PIN or facial or fingerprint recognition for the purpose. However, you can save it on other devices, like your iPad, iPhone, or Android phone. You can also save a passkey on a linked Android device or a FIDO2 security key.

iPad, iPhone, or Android

You can use your iPad, iPhone running iOS 16 or later, or an Android 9+ device to save your passkey for a website or app when using Windows 11. When you do so, you will need that device containing the passkey whenever you need to log in to that website.

Creating a passkey

First, you need to create a passkey for an app or a website. Keep in mind that you should be using Windows Hello to create a passkey, so switch to it if you are using a password.

  1. To do that, you will need to visit the website or open the app and go to the account settings. For instance, to create a passkey for your Google account, visit the Google login page, sign in, and click on 'Security' on the left.
  1. Scroll down to the 'How you sign in to Google' section and click on the 'Passkeys and security keys' option.
  1. Now click on the ' Create a passkey' button at the bottom.
  1. Then click on 'Use another device' in the pop-up that appears,
  1. Now, a Windows Hello pop-up will appear and you can select your preferred option. Then click on the 'Next' button.
  1. If you selected an iPhone, iPad, or Android device earlier, your Windows PC will connect to it. A QR code will appear on your screen. Scan it using your phone to save the passkey to the device.

Using the passkey

Once you've saved the passkey on another device, you can use it to log in to that website.

  1. Go to the website for which you have set up your passkey and click on the sign-in option.
  2. On the sign-in page, click on the 'Use your passkey' or similar option.
  1. Then click on 'Use another device' and then click on the 'Next' button.
  2. On the next page, click on 'iPhone, iPad, or Android device'
  1. Again, a QR code will appear on your screen. Scan it using the device on which you have saved your passkey to log in to your account.

Linked device

The steps to using a device linked to your Windows PC for saving a passkey are very similar to those you follow when using an Android, iPhone, or iPad.

  1. Follow the same steps as above to create a passkey but on the 'Choose where to save this passkey', select your linked device, which should show up in the list of options. For instance, if you've linked your Pixel device, click on it to select it.
  1. Windows will try to connect to the selected device. Once the connection is established, you will need to follow the instructions on your connected device to save the passkey.
  1. To use this passkey, follow the same steps and select your linked device when signing in with a passkey. Then follow the instructions on the device to complete the sign-in process.
Note: You can also use a FIDO2 security key to save your passkey created on a Windows 11 PC. The process is the same as with the other options; you just need to select the security key option when saving or using the passkey.

Things to know

  • When you use another device to save or use a passkey with Windows 11, both devices should have an internet connection and have Bluetooth turned on.
  • In places where Bluetooth use is restricted, you will need to rely on passkey-enabled FIDO2 devices and pair your devices exclusively with those.
  • As with passkeys you save on your own Windows computer, you can delete passkeys saved on other devices whenever you want. For this, you will need to log in to the app or website whose passkey you want to delete and then go to the Accounts settings.
  • If you have saved a passkey using another device but cannot access the device when logging in to that website or app, most websites still offer you the option to log in traditionally using your password.