Passkeys explained
A faster, safer way to log in without passwords - and why tech giants want you to use them.
We have a love-hate relationship with passwords. They’re universal — but they can be stolen, forgotten, guessed, or you might get tricked into sharing them. And if you’re doing passwords right, with a unique and complex one for each site, it’s almost impossible to manage.
That’s why major tech companies — including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon — are working to replace passwords with something better: passkeys.
What are passkeys?
Passkeys use cryptographic keys instead of passwords. You sign in the same way you unlock your phone — with your fingerprint, face, or device PIN.
By unlocking your device, you’re proving you have it in your possession. That allows your “magic” key pair to talk to the website or app so you can sign in.
It’s fast. There’s nothing to remember. And passkeys can’t be stolen in a data breach or used on fake phishing sites.
Why passkeys matter
As Andrew Shikiar from the FIDO Alliance explains, passkeys “take away the threat of phishing and remote attacks, but also make it way easier for you to sign in. You’re basically doing the same thing people do dozens of times a day to unlock their device — now for logging in.”
How to get started
You’ll need a way to create and store passkeys. Windows, Apple, and Android all support them, and password managers like 1Password, Dashlane, or Bitwarden make it easy to use passkeys across devices.
To set one up:
Log in to a site the old way.
Go to account settings and look for “Passkey.”
Tap “Create.”
Next time you log in, it should be instant.
Passkeys are only a few years old, but they’re growing quickly. About half of the top 100 websites now support them, including many major e-commerce and travel sites.
My advice: set one up, then log out and back in to see just how simple it is. And remember — many sites will still let you use your password as a backup, at least for now.
You can find a full list of supported sites at the FIDO Alliance Passkeys Directory.