What Is a Passkey and How Does It Work?

What Are Passkeys? A Simple Explanation for Everyone

Explain It Like I'm an IT Pro: Your Device is Your Credential

Imagine your access credential isn't a string of characters, but a cryptographic proof biometrically tied to your device. To access a system, you simply authenticate to your device. You can't lose this proof like a password, and no one can steal or copy it through conventional means. That's a passkey.

Instead of a password you must remember (a "shared secret" that can be forgotten or stolen), a passkey is a unique digital credential stored in a secure hardware element on your device (phone, laptop, tablet). To log into a website or app, you unlock your device as you normally would — with your face, fingerprint, or PIN. Your device confirms your identity locally, and you're granted access. The core secret of the passkey never leaves your device and is never transmitted to the server.

Passkeys vs. Passwords: The Core Difference

The fundamental shift is moving from a "shared secret" model (the password, which both you and the server know) to a "private key" model where the secret never leaves your possession. This simple change has massive security implications for any organization.

How Public-Key Cryptography Makes It All Work

When you create a passkey for a service, your device generates a unique pair of mathematically linked keys:

1. A Private Key: This is your secret credential. It is stored within your device's secure hardware (like the Secure Enclave on an iPhone or a TPM chip in a PC). It never leaves your device.

2. A Public Key: This is the non-secret part. Your device sends it to the service's server, which stores it alongside your username. Think of it as a public lock that only your private key can open.

When you want to log in, the server sends a unique, one-time challenge to your device. Your device uses its private key to cryptographically "sign" this challenge and sends the signature back. The server uses your stored public key to verify the signature. If it matches, it proves you possess the device with the correct private key, and you're authenticated. No password ever crosses the internet

Why Passkeys Are a Security Game-Changer

Phishing-Proof by Design: How They Stop Scammers

Phishing attacks succeed by tricking users into entering their passwords on a fraudulent website. The scammer's site looks identical to your bank's, but the URL is different. You enter your credentials, and they are compromised.

Passkeys make this attack vector obsolete.

A passkey is cryptographically bound to the website's true domain name (e.g., `https://mybank.com`). When you attempt to log in, your browser and OS verify this domain. If you're on a fake site like `https://mybank-secure-login.net`, the passkey for `mybank.com` will simply refuse to work. The browser won't even offer it as an option. There is no secret for you to type, and therefore nothing for a scammer to steal.

Eliminating the Risk from Data Breaches

Massive data breaches are a constant threat. When a company's database is hacked, attackers steal millions of usernames and password hashes. They then use powerful computers to crack these hashes and reveal the original passwords.

With passkeys, even a server breach doesn’t compromise user credentials. The server only stores public keys. If hackers steal the entire database of public keys, they have a useless collection of digital locks with no corresponding keys. They cannot reverse-engineer the private keys from the public ones, and they can't use them to log in.

The End of Weak and Reused Passwords

The single greatest weakness in digital security is human behavior. Users choose simple, memorable passwords like `Password123!` and reuse them across dozens of services. A breach at one minor website can expose the password for critical corporate accounts.

Passkeys solve this problem at its source. Because the passkey is a long, complex cryptographic string generated by your device, it is always incredibly strong. And because a new, unique key pair is created for every single service, password reuse is eliminated entirely. You achieve maximum security for every account by default.

More Than a Password: Built-in Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

MFA adds layers of security by requiring more than just a password. It's based on verifying multiple "factors" of identity:

• Something you know: A password or PIN.

• Something you have: Your phone or a hardware key.

• Something you are: A fingerprint or face scan.

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How to Create and Use Your First Passkey

Step-by-Step: Creating a Passkey on a Supported Site

Creating a passkey is often simpler than creating a password. Here’s the typical flow on a site like Google, PayPal, or eBay:

1. Navigate to your account's security settings.

2. Find the option to "Create a passkey" or "Add a passkey."

3. The website will trigger a prompt from your operating system (e.g., Windows Hello, Apple's Face ID/Touch ID prompt, Android's screen lock).

4. Authenticate using your face, fingerprint, or device PIN, just as you would to unlock your device.

5. The process is complete. Your device generates the key pair, sends the public key to the site, and saves the passkey locally.

The Seamless Login: Signing In on the Same Device

This is where the user experience is transformed. The next time you visit that site on the same device:

1. Enter your username or email.

2. The site will recognize you have a passkey and automatically prompt you to use it.

3. Authenticate with your face, fingerprint, or PIN.

4. You are logged in instantly. No typing, no password managers required.

Using Your Phone to Log In on a Computer (QR Code Method)

What if your passkey is on your phone, but you need to log in on a laptop? The FIDO standard has a clever solution called cross-device authentication.

1. On the computer's login page, choose the option to sign in with a passkey from another device.

2. A QR code will appear on the computer screen.

3. Scan the QR code with your phone's camera.

4. Your phone will ask you to approve the login using your biometrics.

5. Once you approve, your phone uses Bluetooth to securely communicate with the computer and complete the login. Your private key never leaves your phone.

Where Are Passkeys Stored? Managing Your Digital Keys

Platform-Native Managers: iCloud Keychain, Google, and Windows Hello

The major tech companies have integrated passkey management directly into their ecosystems.

• Apple's iCloud Keychain: Passkeys created on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac are automatically synced via iCloud, making them available on all your trusted Apple devices.

• Google Password Manager: Passkeys created on Android or in Chrome are saved to your Google Account and synced across your Android devices and any computer where you're signed into Chrome.

• Windows Hello: Windows 10 and 11 allow you to create passkeys tied to your device, secured by your Windows Hello PIN or biometrics.

Third-Party Password Managers for Cross-Platform Freedom

For users who operate outside a single ecosystem (e.g., using an iPhone with a Windows PC), third-party password managers are rapidly adding passkey support. These services aim to provide a consistent, platform-agnostic way to store and sync your passkeys across all your devices.

Synced vs. Device-Bound Passkeys: Convenience vs. Maximum Security

There are two main types of passkeys:

• Synced Passkeys (Multi-device): These are the most common for consumers. They are stored by Apple, Google, or a password manager and synced across your devices. They offer incredible convenience and have built-in backup and recovery through your account.

• Device-Bound Passkeys (Single-device): These are tied to a single piece of hardware, like a computer's TPM chip or a dedicated hardware security key. They cannot be copied or moved, offering the absolute highest level of security because they cannot be phished or accessed remotely, even if your entire cloud account is compromised. This is the standard for high-security enterprise environments.

Device and Browser Compatibility: What You Need to Get Started

Supported Operating Systems

Passkey support is built into all modern operating systems:

• iOS 16 and later

• iPadOS 16 and later

• macOS Ventura and later

• Android 9 and later

• Windows 10 (1903) and later

Supported Web Browsers

The latest versions of all major browsers support the WebAuthn standard required for passkeys:

• Chrome

• Safari

• Edge

• Firefox

The Role of Hardware Security Keys

For the highest level of assurance and portability, hardware security keys (like those compliant with FIDO2 standards) serve as a form of device-bound passkey. They are physical devices that store your private keys, providing phishing-resistant MFA that is portable across any compatible computer.

Which Apps and Websites Support Passkeys?

Major Tech Platforms Leading the Charge

Adoption is growing daily, with nearly all major technology companies now supporting passkeys for their consumer accounts:

• Google

• Apple

• Microsoft

• PayPal & eBay

• Amazon

• TikTok, etc.

How to Find Other Passkey-Enabled Services

Keeping track of adoption can be difficult. Resources like our list of supported web services maintain an up-to-date overview of websites and apps that have implemented passkey support, making it easy to see where you can go passwordless.

Addressing Common Concerns and Questions (FAQ)

What Happens If I Lose My Phone? The Recovery Process Explained

This is a common fear, but the recovery process is more powerful than password recovery. Because passkeys are synced, if you lose your phone, you can still access your accounts using the passkey on your tablet or laptop. If you lose all your devices, you rely on the recovery methods for your cloud account (Apple ID, Google Account).

For enterprise environments, this process is managed, not left to chance. Platforms like Hideez provide administrators with a central console to implement secure, policy-driven recovery workflows. This ensures an employee who loses a device can be re-provisioned quickly, maintaining business continuity without compromising security.

Can I Still Use My Old Password if I Want To?

Yes. For the foreseeable future, nearly all services that adopt passkeys will continue to support passwords as a fallback login method. This allows for a gradual transition and ensures users aren't locked out if they're on an older, unsupported device.

Are My Biometrics (Face/Fingerprint) Sent to the Server?

Absolutely not. This is a critical privacy and security guarantee. Your biometric data never leaves your device. It is processed locally by the secure hardware on your phone or computer. Its only job is to verify that you are the authorized user and "unlock" the private key to perform the cryptographic signature. The website server has no idea whether you used a face, a fingerprint, or a PIN.

Can I Use Passkeys on a Shared or Public Computer?

Yes, and it's far more secure than typing a password. You would use the QR code method described earlier. Your passkey stays on your phone, and no credentials or secrets are ever stored on the public machine.

The Challenges and Current Limitations of a Passwordless World

While the technology is revolutionary, the transition won't happen overnight.

The Slow Pace of Universal Adoption. The biggest hurdle is time. Millions of websites and applications need to update their systems to support the FIDO2 standard. While major players are on board, it will be years before every service you use supports them.

The "Walled Garden" Problem: Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft. While interoperability has improved dramatically, friction can still exist between ecosystems. This is where enterprise-grade identity providers add immense value. A unified platform like Hideez is designed to abstract away this complexity. By providing a single, manageable solution with compatible hardware keys and a central server, businesses can implement passkeys that work seamlessly for all users, regardless of their device or ecosystem.

User Education and Overcoming Old Habits. For 30 years, we've been trained to create, remember, and type passwords. Shifting the public's mindset to a new paradigm where you don't have a secret to remember is a significant educational challenge. Users need to trust the technology and understand how to manage their new digital keys.

Hideez provides an end-to-end passwordless solution, combining FIDO2 hardware keys with a centralized management platform to secure your endpoints and simplify compliance.

Ready to eliminate your biggest security risk? Schedule a demo with our experts to see how Hideez can secure your passwordless transition.

Written by:

Oleg Naumenko

CEO and founder, Hideez