In Mac OS X, what is the Keychain, and how do I use it?

The Keychain consolidates various passwords and passphrases in one place and makes them accessible through a master password or passphrase. When an application (including the Finder) needs to access a password stored in the Keychain, the application asks you to unlock the Keychain if it is not already open.

Adding items to the Keychain

Many applications store their passwords in the Keychain automatically. You may also add file server passwords. For instructions, see In Mac OS X, how do I store file server passwords in my Keychain?

Applications that employ passwords (such as FTP clients and web browsers) must be written specifically to use the Keychain. Currently, neither Internet Explorer nor Netscape directly supports the Keychain for password-protected sites, but other web browsers, as well as many FTP, SFTP, and email clients, do.

Keychain settings

To change the password and other settings for an existing Keychain:

1. From the Go menu, select Applications.
2. Open the Utilities folder, and then double-click Keychain Access.
3. From the Edit menu, select Change Settings for Keychain "[NAME]" or Change Password for Keychain "[NAME]" as appropriate, where [NAME] is the name of your Keychain.

For more information about the Keychain, consult the built-in Mac Help, available from the Help menu of Keychain Access or the Finder.

Also see:

• What books are available for Mac OS and Mac OS X computers, and where can I find them?
• For Mac OS X, what native FTP and SFTP clients are available, and how do they compare?
• In Mac OS X, how do I password-protect my computer?
• What is passphrase vaulting?