All Macs have multiple file-based keychains, and one Data Protection keychain for each user. Their differences are explained, with info on the newest variant introduced this year, together with tools and links.
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Changes to keychains, volume structure, Time Machine, Migration Assistant, and the security command tool that have only recently come to light, six months later.
Tahoe 26.4 broke the copying of login keychains. Apple has at last explained how you can copy them successfully, and what backup software needs to do. Explained in full.
Seven burning problems, from encrypted login keychains to problems updating XProtect, have turned the last week into a plate-spinner’s nightmare..
Login keychain behaviour changed in Tahoe 26.4, and now ties access to one Mac. That could cause problems, as the most reliable transfer is by two-Mac migration.
In Tahoe and later, using Macs with Secure Enclaves, copying the login keychain between them won’t work. But migration should be successful, and can also be used to create new VMs, such as Golden Gate.
From their origin with an email engine in 1993, to the addition of the more secure Data Protection keychain supporting passkeys and much more.
Authentication dialogs differ on Macs with Touch ID support, although they can still use a traditional format. Here are different versions of the dialog and explanations.
Which passwords, passkeys, wi-fi passwords, and so on are supported by Sequoia’s new Passwords app? Where has Keychain Access gone, and do you still need it?
Differences between file-based keychains including the login keychain, and Data Protection keychain. How the Passwords app in Sequoia caters for the latter.
