With the latest iOS 18, iPadOS 18, visionOS 2, and macOS Sequoia update, Apple has released a dedicated Passwords app to manage and store your passwords, passkeys, and other private data and autofill passwords on other websites. Your synced passwords will also be available on Windows with the iCloud for Windows app.

With the Passwords app replacing iCloud Keychain, it's easier to access your Passwords on the macOS now. Previously, you could only access your passwords from within the settings app. Now, the standalone Passwords app makes it easy to access passwords and other data like Passkeys, Codes, and Wi-Fi passwords, all in one place.

Among other enhancements and conveniences that the Passwords app brings to the table, one that I find particularly interesting is the ability to get it in the Menu Bar in macOS Sequoia.

Note: At the time of this writing, macOS Sequoia is still in Developer Beta. The public beta will be available next month and the public update will be available later this fall, but you can install the Developer Beta on your Mac right now if you want.

What can Passwords do from the Menu Bar? With the Passwords app in the Menu Bar, it can detect the app or website you're currently on and suggest relevant passwords in the Menu Bar pop-up. It's a great option if you use a third-party browser instead of Safari and still want to use the Passwords app without any hassle or extensions.

While it does not auto-fill passwords as the app can in Safari, you can easily copy-paste the usernames and passwords to fill in in other browsers. However, that's about the extent of it. For other functionality of the Passwords app, you'll need to resort to using the app only.

To enable the Passwords app in the Menu Bar, follow these steps.

  1. Open the Passwords app on your Mac and enter your user password to access it.
  2. Click on 'Passwords' from the menu bar and go to 'Settings'.
  1. Then, enable the option for 'Show Passwords in Menu Bar' under the General section.
  1. Passwords icon will appear in the Menu Bar. To use Passwords from the Menu Bar, click it. You'll need to enter your user password to unlock the app.
  1. Once it's unlocked, it'll show you suggested passwords for any websites you're visiting (even in third-party browsers like Arc, Chrome, etc.) or apps you have open on your screen.
  1. Click on the password and you can view the username and password and copy them.

The new Passwords app might not be a full-fledged password manager that could become a solution for people already deep into third-party password managers. However, even in its infancy, it's a good enough solution for people who have no need for third-party password managers. Moreover, with the Menu Bar addition for the Passwords app, it is possible to use Apple Passwords in other browsers if you're not a regular Safari user like me. However, it still has a long way to go. Considering that I'm testing it on the first developer beta, I'm hoping that it will only improve with time.