--- title: "How to Switch Your Most Important Accounts to Passkeys" url: https://protergates.com/guides/how-to-switch-to-passkeys/ published: 2026-11-02 updated: 2026-11-02 --- # How to Switch Your Most Important Accounts to Passkeys > Passkeys replace passwords with a key that never leaves your device, so there is nothing to phish. A step by step guide to turning them on, starting with your email. - URL: https://protergates.com/guides/how-to-switch-to-passkeys/ - Section: Guides - Author: James Anderson, Senior Technology Consultant (https://protergates.com/expertise/#james-anderson); Emily Carter, Technology Research Specialist (https://protergates.com/expertise/#emily-carter); Oliver Schmidt, Senior Software Engineer (https://protergates.com/expertise/#oliver-schmidt); Hiroshi Tanaka, Professor of Computer Science (https://protergates.com/expertise/#hiroshi-tanaka); Giorgi Beridze, Technology Solutions Architect (https://protergates.com/expertise/#giorgi-beridze) - Published: 2026-11-02 - Last updated: 2026-11-02 - Topics: passkeys, passwords, account security - Reading time: 3 min - Cite as: James Anderson, Emily Carter, Oliver Schmidt, Hiroshi Tanaka and Giorgi Beridze, "How to Switch Your Most Important Accounts to Passkeys", Protergates, November 2, 2026, https://protergates.com/guides/how-to-switch-to-passkeys/ Passwords fail in two ways. People reuse them, and people get tricked into typing them on fake websites. Passkeys fix both problems at once, and most major services now support them. This guide shows you what a passkey is, why it is safer, and exactly how to switch your most important accounts, starting with the one that matters most. ## What a passkey actually is A passkey is a pair of digital keys. The website keeps the **public key**. Your device keeps the **private key** and protects it with your fingerprint, your face, or your device PIN. When you sign in, the website sends your device a challenge. Your device answers it using the private key, and the website checks the answer with the public key. You never type a secret, and the private key never leaves your device. That is the important part. There is no password for a fake login page to capture, and nothing useful for attackers to steal if a website is breached. ## Before you start You need three things: 1. **An up to date phone or computer.** Recent versions of iOS, macOS, Android and Windows all support passkeys. 2. **A screen lock** on that device: a PIN, fingerprint or face unlock. 3. **A place to keep passkeys in sync.** On Apple devices that is iCloud Keychain. On Android it is Google Password Manager. Syncing means a lost phone does not lock you out. ## Step 1: Start with your email Your email account can reset nearly every other password you own, so it goes first. 1. Sign in to your email account in a browser or the official app. 2. Open the **security** or **sign in** settings. Look for an option called **Passkeys** or **Passkeys and security keys**. 3. Choose **Create a passkey** and confirm with your fingerprint, face or PIN. 4. Sign out and sign back in once to make sure it works. Keep your existing recovery options, such as a recovery phone number or backup codes, switched on. A passkey adds protection. It should not become your only way in. ## Step 2: Your Apple, Google or Microsoft account These accounts control your phone, your backups and often your saved passwords. Add a passkey to whichever ones you use, using the same pattern: security settings, passkeys, create, confirm. ## Step 3: Money and documents Next, check your bank, payment apps, and any service that stores tax, health or identity documents. Support varies. If you do not see a passkey option, turn on two step verification with an authenticator app instead of text messages where you can. ## Step 4: Everything else, gradually You do not need to convert every account today. A practical approach: - When a site offers to create a passkey as you sign in, **say yes.** - Once a month, spend ten minutes checking a few more accounts. - Keep a password manager for accounts that do not support passkeys yet. ## Common questions as you switch **What if I sign in on someone else's computer?** Most sites let you sign in by scanning a QR code with your phone, which then uses the passkey stored on it. Do not save your passkey on a shared machine. **What if I change phones?** With syncing turned on, your passkeys move with your Apple or Google account. Sign in on the new device and they appear. **Is my fingerprint sent to the website?** No. Your fingerprint or face only unlocks the key on your own device. ## The short version 1. Turn on a screen lock and passkey syncing. 2. Add a passkey to your email first. 3. Then your Apple, Google or Microsoft account. 4. Then money and documents. 5. Say yes whenever a site offers a passkey from now on. An hour this week covers the accounts that matter most. After that, the rest happens a little at a time, every time a site asks. ## Frequently asked questions **Q: What is a passkey in simple terms?** A: A passkey is a sign in method that replaces your password. Your device holds a private key and the website holds a matching public key. You unlock it with your fingerprint, face or device PIN. **Q: Why are passkeys safer than passwords?** A: The private key never leaves your device, so there is no secret you can be tricked into typing on a fake website, and nothing useful for attackers to steal from the website's database. **Q: What happens if I lose my phone?** A: If your passkeys sync through iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager, they come back when you sign in on a new device. Keep a backup sign in method on every important account just in case. **Q: Do I have to delete my password after adding a passkey?** A: Not at first. Most services let you keep the password as a fallback. Once passkeys work smoothly on all your devices, you can tighten things up where the service allows it. **Q: Which accounts should get a passkey first?** A: Your main email account first, because it can reset almost every other password. Then your Apple or Google account, your bank, and any account that holds money or private documents. **Q: Can I use passkeys on a shared or family computer?** A: Avoid saving passkeys on a computer other people use. Use your phone to sign in instead, which most sites support by showing a QR code you scan. ## Sources 1. [Akamai: What is a FIDO passkey?](https://akamai.com/glossary/what-is-a-fido-passkey)