This guide walks through how to import passwords into Apple Passwords, using the built-in CSV import on Mac and a separate Safari import method on iPhone. If switching password managers has been sitting on the to-do list, this covers what to check before starting, how the transfer actually works, and why it's worth verifying everything before deleting the old vault.
Apple Passwords launched as a standalone app alongside iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and visionOS 2, giving users one place to manage passwords, passkeys, and verification codes. Apple's Passwords user guide explains how the app and iCloud Keychain work, and Apple now documents CSV import steps for both Mac and iPhone.
Two things matter before touching any files. First, the CSV this process depends on holds logins in plain, readable text, so anyone who opens it can see usernames and passwords without cracking anything. Second, the documented import focuses on password credentials, including titles, URLs, usernames, passwords, and supported notes. Don't assume passkeys, verification codes, payment details, folders, or tags will come along for the ride. Check each one manually and move it separately where supported.
What you need before you start
A Mac running macOS Sequoia or later supports importing CSV files directly into the Passwords app. Apple also documents an iPhone route through Safari, so a Mac is no longer necessary for this type of migration.
Before exporting anything, confirm:
The current password manager can produce a CSV with recognizable fields such as name, URL, username, and password.
Every Apple device involved is running a software version that supports the relevant import feature.
The device is signed into your own Apple Account.
The work happens on hardware you own and control, not a public or borrowed computer. A plaintext password file has no business sitting on a machine that isn't fully trusted.
Export your passwords to a CSV file
Open the current password manager's export or settings menu and generate a CSV. Menu wording varies by app, but the goal is the same whether the destination is a Mac import or the Safari route covered later: a file with recognizable columns for name, URL, username, and password.
This is also the step most guides mean when they talk about how to transfer passwords from another password manager to Apple Passwords, regardless of which import method comes next.
Treat the file as sensitive the moment it exists, not after it's imported. A short sequence keeps it contained:
Export the file only on a personal, trusted device.
Run the import right away instead of letting the file sit around.
Don't email it, upload it to a shared drive, or open it any more than needed to confirm it imported cleanly.
Delete it after the import is complete, then empty the Trash or remove it from Recently Deleted. Keep the original password manager available while verifying the migration.
How to import CSV passwords to Apple Passwords on Mac
With the CSV ready and macOS Sequoia or later installed, the import itself is short:
Open the Passwords app and complete any authentication prompt that appears.
From the menu bar, select File > Import Passwords from File.
Click Choose File and select the CSV from the export step.
Click Import.
When prompted, click Delete [filename] to remove the imported file.
These steps are documented in Apple's official Mac import guide.
Import time may vary with the size of the file. Exports from different password managers may also need adjustments if their CSV formatting doesn't match what Apple expects.
Running an older version of macOS without the standalone Passwords app? Earlier macOS versions offered a separate route through System Settings > Passwords, with an import option in the ellipsis menu. Treat this as its own route rather than an interchangeable step in the Sequoia workflow, since menu wording shifts between macOS versions.
Success here means two things: entries actually show up in the Passwords app, and critical logins, such as email, banking, and work accounts, autofill correctly when tested.
If the import fails or skips entries
Apple says imported passwords won't replace existing entries in the Passwords app. You can also review passwords that couldn't be imported.
That doesn't mean the whole file failed. Check the CSV headers and formatting first, then either add the missing entries manually or correct the export and run the import again.
Importing passwords into Apple Passwords on iPhone through Safari
Apple officially supports importing passwords from another password manager through Safari on iPhone. The credentials are saved to the Passwords app, so this isn't merely an unverified workaround.
According to Apple's iPhone password import instructions, the process is:
Export the CSV from the current password manager.
Open Settings > Apps > Safari.
Tap Import, located below History and Website Data.
Tap Choose File and select the CSV or supported ZIP file.
Tap Import to Safari.
Tap Done.
Apple's Safari import documentation explicitly confirms that imported passwords go into the Passwords app.
After running the import, open Passwords and test autofill on a few familiar sites. If entries show up there and autofill works, the credential migration has succeeded for those tested accounts.
If some entries don't appear, don't assume the migration is complete. Check the original CSV and the old password manager for missing records, and keep the old manager active until the gaps are resolved.
Verify the migration before you delete anything
Regardless of which path was used, hold off on removing the old password manager until a few things check out.
Compare the rough number of entries in the old manager against what landed in Passwords, and cross-check anything listed as not imported during the Mac process.
Then test logins across a mix of account types: an email account, a financial or banking site, a work login, and one site with an unusual or nonstandard login URL, since those are more likely to expose a silent gap than a handful of easy logins.
Two-factor codes, passkeys, payment cards, and anything filed into folders or tags aren't guaranteed to transfer through a password CSV import. Check each of those categories manually inside the old manager and move them over through whatever method that app supports.
Visibility isn't the same as function. An entry showing up in Passwords doesn't prove it works.
Log into at least one important account using the migrated credentials, and separately confirm any 2FA codes or passkeys tied to the old manager still work the way they should.
Turn on iCloud Keychain to sync everywhere
Once the import checks out, enable sync so the same credentials show up on every Apple device.
Go to Settings (or System Settings on Mac), select your name, then iCloud > Passwords or Passwords and Keychain, depending on the software version. Turn on the option to sync the device if it isn't already enabled.
A new device can be approved using an already trusted device or another verification method Apple offers, after which iCloud Keychain starts updating automatically. Confirm it actually worked by checking that the same imported entries show up on a second Apple device.
Windows users aren't locked out either. The same passwords are accessible through iCloud for Windows and the iCloud Passwords browser extension for supported browsers, including Chrome and Edge.
After importing, remove the CSV file from the device and any other locations where copies were saved, including the Trash or Recently Deleted. Apple warns that exported password files may be unencrypted and readable by anyone who can access them.
Keep the old password manager installed a bit longer as a fallback until logins, 2FA codes, passkeys, and cross-device sync have actually been tested, not just assumed.
What to do now
Mac owners should run the import, work through the verification checklist, and then remove the exported CSV while keeping the old manager available as a fallback.
iPhone-only users can follow Apple's documented Safari import, confirm that the entries appear in Passwords, and test important logins before retiring the old manager.
Comments
Be the first, drop a comment!