How to Setup and Use Google Passkeys?

Password management is one of the biggest headaches for anyone in this digital world. All web browsers like Chrome, Edge and Safari offers in-built password manager to store website and app login details. However, you still need to keep the passwords strong and make sure they are not compromised. Good thing is that companies like Apple and Google are trying to address the issue with the introduction of “Passkeys”. In this article, let us explore what is a passkey and how you can setup one for your Google account.

What is a Passkey?

Passkeys are cryptographic private keys stored on user’s device in an attempt to move towards a passwordless login. Once setup, you can login with the help of a fingerprint, face recognition, screen lock pattern, or a PIN in the same way you unlock your mobile and desktop devices. That’s being said, passkeys will work only on a particular device and you should setup a new key for each device separately. Though this will not solve the password management problem completely, here are some of the advantages of using passkeys:

• No need to struggle for creating strong and complex passwords which you can’t remember.
• Avoid the hassle of storing passwords in password manager apps.
• You get a strong protection against security threats and data breaches.

Setup Passkeys for Google Account

Here, we will explain with setting up passkey for Google account in Windows 11 PC using Windows Hello PIN.

• Open the Chrome browser and go to myaccount.google.com.
• If you are not already logged in, login with your Google account.
• Select the “Security” option from the menu on the left side of the page.
• Scroll down to “How you sign in to Google” section and click on “Passkeys” option.

• You will be prompted to provide the password of your Google account initially. Type your original password and click on “Next” button.

• On the next page, click on the “Use passkeys” button in “Start using your passkeys” section.

• Next, click on the “Create a passkey” button showing at the bottom of the page to create a passkey for the PC.

• Click on “Continue” button in the popup window that appears.

• The next step is to add a Windows Hello PIN and type the PIN number in text box.

• Now you will get a notification that the passkey is created, click on “Done” and you are all set to sign in using the passkey.

• The newly created passkey will appear in the section “Passkeys you created”.

Login Using Google Passkey

Log out of your Google account and try to sign in again. You will be prompted to confirm using a passkey and click on the “Continue” button.

Enter the correct PIN in the given space and sign into your Google account.

Add Passkeys for Android and Other Devices

If you are using Android phone logged in with the same Google account, Google will automatically create passkeys for you. You can find the details under “Automatically created passkeys” section.

Unfortunately, automatic option is not yet available for iPhone and you need to manually add passkeys on your iOS device.

• To do that, click on “Create a passkey” button.

• Then click on “Use another device” link showing beside “Continue” button.

• This will show a QR code and scan the code with your iPhone and follow further instructions to create passkey on that device.

Delete Your Passkeys

If you want to remove passkeys for any device, it is quite simple. Your Google my account page will show all the devices you have created passkeys. Click on a particular device under “Passkeys you created” section and click on the X button.

Confirm your action by clicking on “Remove” to delete the passkey. If required, you can create another one anytime later.

Final Thoughts

Passkeys are the beginning of a passwordless future according to Google and it is a safer compared to using passwords. Though it is easy to setup you need to do the same process on multiple devices. In addition, it is a hassle to switch accounts when you have multiple Google accounts on the same device. Also, if the website does not offer Google login option, then you need continue using the password option.