What is a Passkey? It’s a Smart Solution to Password Problems.

You may not know it, but one day you would eventually ask Google, “What is a passkey?”  To save you time—and to make sure you got a helpful answer—we decided to bring the answer to that question to you. We’ll start with this:

• Imagine a day when you no longer have to create, know, remember, or worry about passwords.
• Well, that day is coming…and sooner than you think.
• And that will happen, thanks to what is known as passkeys.

NOTE: Passkeys are coming, but they are still new. As of April 1, 2025, passkeys are slowly being rolled out in different industries. Google offers a passkey option to sign in, and so does ___. But many companies and websites are just now adopting the technology or planning to.

Check out our recent article and podcast Christiaan Brand, Next-Gen Account Security.

What is a passkey? Here’s an answer in a nutshell.

The main idea is this: A passkey can replace your password if you want it to. A passkey will offer a way to open your accounts without typing in your password. That is the essence of it. If you’ve used a thumbprint or your face on a computer or phone to open your account, you already have a taste of the technology.

One day, credit card accounts, banks, and online shopping websites may all offer the option of setting up and using a passkey in place of your password. Your password will still work, and you can use it whenever you want, even if you have set up a passkey. 

You can use a passkey on whatever device you set it up on: A desktop PC, laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Just know that you’ll need to set up passkeys for each device you want it on.

Why go with a passkey? Aren’t passwords safe anymore?

You might wonder why this change to passkeys is happening and what the reason behind it is. Quite simply, it’s to help us better protect our accounts, money, and identity.

There have always been problems with passwords, and the situation has never improved. Here’s a short list of why passwords are an issue and why passkeys make sense.

• People use the same passwords for different accounts, which is not a good practice.
• Consumers’ passwords are often very weak and simple, making them easy for hackers to guess.
• When there is a data breach at an organization, passwords are often stolen by cybercriminals.
• Scammers use phishing, usually through email, to trick victims into divulging their passwords. Phishing is the leading cause of scams, fraud, and identity theft.

On our website, we’ve written many articles about password problems, including this one about the importance of changing passwords.

Why passkeys are safer than passwords. Three key reasons.

• Passkeys aren’t numbers that you or the website ever see or record. There is nothing to be stolen, seen, or used fraudulently.
• A hacker or scammer cannot imitate your passkey. It is unique to your devices.
• Once you set up a passkey, you don’t have to remember it or write it down. It’s there to be used securely and quickly.  

This isn’t your grandfather’s passkey.

The word passkey has been around for decades, and the classic definition doesn’t describe anything that sounds like security:

• A key designed to open any of a set of similar locks, as in a master key; Also, a “skeleton key” with a large part of the bit filed away that enables it to open many simple locks.

But this is the 21^st Century, and this isn’t your grandfather’s passkey. Here’s a modern description:

• A passkey is a digital credential that links an account holder to a specific website or app. Passkeys allow customers or clients to authenticate themselves without entering a password or providing any additional authentication factor. This technology aims to replace legacy authentication mechanisms such as passwords.

Unfortunately, passkeys are not being introduced methodically or talked about enough to the potential users who need to learn how important they are. Many consumers have not yet heard about passkeys, and that will need to change for them to gain wide acceptance.

How will you know which companies will let you use a passkey?

Many companies plan to offer passkeys, but they can’t tell us when that will happen. So, how will you know when a passkey option is available? Here are some ideas:

• “Google” the question. For instance, you can ask, “Does LinkedIn offer passkeys?” (The answer is “yes.”) Maybe Google the question, “Does Wells Fargo Bank offer passkeys?” (The answer there is “not yet, but soon.”)
• Visit a website you use often and see if it offers a passkey option at sign-in. Google has done that for its customers.
• Finally, go to a favorite website, log in as usual, and find the “security” information. If the website offers passkeys, you’ll find details there.

Learn more about using passwords and account security.

To learn more about account safety and protecting your money and identity, visit the Learning Center at WhatIsMyIPAddress.com. You’ll find many informative, easy-to-read articles to help you protect what’s important to you.