The best way to securely share passwords

Sometimes, you have no choice but to share your password with others. At work – in order to share access to multiple accounts required by employees, such as social media pages or certain software. In your personal life – pay for utility bills with your partner, or share an account with your family in an emergency. If you have to share, share your password securely. Learn the smartest way to do it.

Safe and easy to store and share passwords

Try creating multiple vaults with Secrets 4 and sharing them with multiple people. Use it in Setapps with over 230 other applications.

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There are several ways to store and share passwords that are considered secure.

• Built-in Mac tools. On Mac, passwords are stored in Keychain, a built-in password manager. You can share them by creating shared groups (groups of people you trust) or by AirDrop.
• Third-party password manager. Considered to be one of the safest. It can be considered as a digital safe protected by a lock. A good example is Secrets 4, an application that uses 256-bit encryption to keep your data secure.

Another way is to use encrypted emails. The solution is as follows: You install an extension to encrypt your email → The recipient receives an email with the link and clicks it → Enter a password → Read the email. But there is a problem: somehow, you also have to share your email password safely—it's like a vicious cycle.

So here we will review Password Manager, Keychain, and AirDrop as the best way to send passwords.

The easiest way to securely share passwords

Our preferred recommendation is the Secrets 4 app. It allows you to store and share sensitive data: passwords, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, private notes, and more. You can also generate a strong password with one click when creating a secret (such as the login information for a website).

All secrets are stored in the vault. It can be considered a folder. You can create as many vaults as you want and store them locally or on your iCloud. The vault stored on iCloud can be shared.

Here is how to share passwords with Secrets 4:

1. Open Secrets 4 and go to Settings > Vault.
2. Click "Unlock" in the lower right corner to make changes and unlock with Touch ID.
3. Select the vault you want to share and double-click it.
4. Press the ??? button in the lower left corner and select Share.
5. Click Invite and select a person from your contacts or enter an email.
6. Click the Invite button and share the link generated by the application.

Once the person has Secrets 4 installed and clicked on the link, they can access the vault. Note that if someone wants to view only the vault, you don't need to subscribe. A paid subscription is only required if you need to edit the vault.

For websites to provide autofill functionality, you and the person who share your password must grant a permission. Go to System Settings > Password > Password Options and open Secrets 4.

If you don't have a vault that syncs with iCloud, here's how to create one:

1. Open Secrets 4 and go to Settings > Devices.
2. Confirm that your Mac is a verified device.
3. Go to "Storage" and click > iCloud Vault in the lower left corner.
4. Name the vault.
5. Go back to the application and add the new secret to the vault.

It seems like a long process, but it only takes 30 seconds to a minute.

Share passwords with family and friends

The Mac itself has a built-in tool to remember the passwords for applications, servers, and websites—iCloud Keychain. The first time you enter your credentials into your website, iCloud Keychain prompts you to create and save a strong password. If you accept it, it will be automatically filled in the next time you use the site.

Sharing options are also available. Previously, it wasn't convenient enough because you could only share one password at a time. But starting with iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma, the data sharing process has been greatly improved. You can now create a person group that shares the selected password.

However, iCloud Keychain has some limitations:

• Passwords can only belong to one group. For example, you cannot share your Amazon account with your family and best friends group. You can overcome this using the Secrets 4 app.
• It only works with Safari.
• Passwords are stored in iCloud and synced with your other Apple devices. In theory, this could endanger data security if your other devices are threatened. For enhanced security, use two-factor authentication on the website.

Regardless, Macs provide some safe ways to share passwords and keys. Let's dive into them.

Share passwords with iCloud Keychain

For iCloud Keychain to work properly, it must be enabled. Check it in Apple Menu > System Settings > Apple ID (under your name) > iCloud > Password and Keychain.

From here, you need to move to another menu. Click the "Details" button near "View Password" and you will be redirected to the "Password" menu. Alternatively, you can access it directly as follows the instructions below.

To share your password securely, follow these steps:

1. Go to System Settings > Password. You may need to scroll down the sidebar.
2. Enter your password or log in with your Touch ID.
3. Click the number, select "New Shared Group", and name it.
4. Add people to the group (or you can add them later) and click Create.
5. Select the password you want to add to this group and click Move.
6. Click Manage > Add people, select people from your contacts, and then click Add.

Note: The device of the person who shares your password must run the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS.

Completed! You can notify people via messages. But even if you don't, the next time they log in to the Password section, they will see a notification asking them to accept your password. When they visit a website where you share access, they will see a proposal to log in with your credentials.

Share passwords and keys with Safari

Passwords could be shared via Safari before, but you can only share one at a time. If one loses it, you have to go through the sharing process again.

Sonoma makes it more convenient. Now you can share it with a group of people. Also, passwords are shared directly: they appear in the recipient's browser, and if you change the password, you don't need anyone to notice to change it for the rest of the groups. This process is almost the same as the one described above.

To send a password using Safari:

1. Launch Safari and go to Settings > Password.
2. Enter your Mac password or log in with your Touch ID.
3. Click the number, select "New Shared Group", and name it.
4. Add people to the group and click Move.
5. Select the password you want to share and click "Move".
6. If you still need to add someone, click Manage > Add people.

Note: You can share your password with people on the contact list who have a Safari-compatible device (i.e., Mac, iPhone, or iPad).

Share passwords with other users or Apple devices

To share your password with nearby Apple device users, try AirDrop. It helps send passwords one at a time. Before you begin, make sure all settings on both devices are correct:

• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are on.
• The recipient is visible in AirDrop. Check this in System Settings > General > AirDrop and Handoff. Contacts only or All should be selected.
• Keychain is enabled. System Settings > Your Name > iCloud > Password and Keychain.
• You and the recipient are in each other's contacts. The email associated with your Apple ID should be in the contact information.

After the setup is complete, access the vault. You can do this via System Preferences (Apple Menu > System Preferences > Password) or via Safari (Safari > Settings > Password). The rest of the processes are similar:

1. Right-click on the website where you want to share your password > Share with AirDrop.
2. Make sure the recipient clicks "Accept".
3. Click "Done".

Ways that passwords should not be shared

Finally, for security reasons, we want to emphasize that passwords should never be shared:

• By Email
• In the text message.
• In voicemail.
• In a shared document or note.
• On paper.

Also, avoid sharing passwords when connecting to a public Wi-Fi network.

The best free way to share passwords securely

We recommend that you share your password in one of the following ways:

• Password (if Keychain is enabled). This allows you to share your password with a group of people. The main disadvantage is that passwords can only belong to one group.
• via AirDrop. A secure way to send your password to someone nearby who owns Apple devices.
• By Safari. Requirements and restrictions are the same as sharing via password.
• Through the Secrets 4 app. It allows you to share passwords, bank accounts and credit card information, notes and more. Importantly, you can copy your password and include it in a different vault so that you can share the same password with different groups of people.

Secrets 4 is part of Setapp, which contains over 230 applications in one subscription. You can try any app for free for 7 days. Sign up and gain full access to Mac apps for work and personal use.

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