LEAVING APPLE PASSWORDS
Move your Apple passwords to a manager that also works on Windows and Android.
If you now need your passwords on Windows or Android, or want to share them with someone who does not use your Apple setup, move them into a manager that works there. Check what the move leaves behind before you delete anything from Apple Passwords.
START WITH THE SETUP
Before you move anything
- 01
Create the new password-manager account, save its recovery details, and test one low-risk login on your iPhone or Mac and on the Windows or Android device you need it for.
- 02
Update your devices. The direct transfer below needs iOS 26 or later on iPhone, according to Bitwarden and 1Password. Apple introduced the Passwords app with iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia.
- 03
Note what Apple says cannot be exported: Wi-Fi passwords, passwords shared with a group you did not create, and access to Sign in with Apple accounts. Apple’s export pages do not mention passkeys or verification codes, so check those separately.
- 04
List the logins you use through a Shared Group. If someone else created the group, ask them how they want to share those logins in the new manager.
WORK THROUGH THE CHANGE
Transfer or export once, then fill the gaps
- 1
Choose your route. On iOS 26 or later, Bitwarden and 1Password both document a direct transfer from Apple Passwords: tap the options (…) button, then Export Data to Another App, and choose the destination. Bitwarden’s steps let you pick passwords and passkeys from a list, and it says this route removes the need to download and handle a data file.
- 2
For a file export, use a Mac if you can: in the Passwords app, choose File → Export All Passwords to File, then Export Passwords. Apple says the CSV file is not encrypted and anyone with access to it can read it. Save it to a private local folder outside cloud sync; 1Password also suggests pausing backup software until the file is deleted.
- 3
Use the iPhone file route only if you have no Mac: Settings → Apps → Safari → Export (below History and Website Data), select Passwords only, then Save to Downloads. Bitwarden notes that this file is saved without encryption into iCloud Drive, so delete it there as soon as the import is checked.
- 4
Import once, using the destination’s Safari option rather than a generic CSV option—for example, Safari in 1Password or Safari (csv) in the Proton Pass browser extension. Bitwarden warns that importing the same file twice creates duplicate items.
- 5
Fill the gaps: set up two-step verification codes again for any account whose code lived in Apple Passwords, and add a passkey from the new manager for any account whose passkey did not come across.
- 6
Sign in to your most important accounts from the new manager on each device. Then delete the export file, empty the Trash, and check that no synced or backup copy remains.
- 7
Only then remove passwords from Apple Passwords. 1Password warns that deleting iCloud Passwords is permanent, and that Safari keeps filling saved passwords until you do. iCloud Keychain keeps passwords up to date across your Apple devices, so treat a deletion on one device as a deletion on all of them.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Three things the move can leave behind
Check these items specifically. A matching item count is not proof that everything came across.
- A login in a family Shared Group
- Apple says you cannot export passwords shared with a group unless you created the group. Ask the group’s creator to share that login with you in the new manager, and keep Apple Passwords until they do.
- A passkey for your email account
- 1Password says passkeys are not imported from a Safari export file. Bitwarden’s direct-transfer steps include passkeys. If yours did not arrive, sign in and create a new passkey with the new manager, then test it on your non-Apple device.
- A verification code stored in Passwords
- Apple Passwords can store two-factor verification codes, but Apple’s export pages do not say whether they are exported. Set the code up again in your new manager or authenticator from the account’s security settings before you remove anything from Apple Passwords.
Check whether you need to leave Apple Passwords at all.
If your only non-Apple device is a Windows PC, Apple documents iCloud Passwords for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge through iCloud for Windows. That page describes Windows only; it does not mention Android. If you need Android, or a password manager that people outside your Apple setup can use, moving is the route this guide covers.
Moving from another browser or manager instead? Use the Chrome password guide or the LastPass guide. Read Apple’s Passwords overview; source checked September 21, 2026.
A GOOD REASON TO WAIT
Stop and fix it before continuing if
- You cannot sign in to your primary email from the new password manager on a non-Apple device.
- The export file is still in iCloud Drive, another cloud folder, an email, or a message.
- An account still depends on a verification code or passkey that only Apple Passwords holds.
When to use the provider’s instructions
This is a planning guide, not security, legal, or account-recovery advice. Use the provider’s current documentation and your organisation’s policy where they apply.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Not sure where to move yet?
List the devices, people, and sharing you need first. The checklist does not rank products; it tells you what to test in a trial.