It can be weird to live the macOS two-platform life and Windows – or even just “Apple and everything that Apple doesn’t.” But if you will save your passwords to Keychain, and then upload that to iCloud to sync le your Apple devices, you will now be able to extend that capability to Windows systems. (Sort of.)
Apple has launched a new browser extension that allows you to import your Keychain passwords into Chrome (and with a few modifications, the Chromium Edge). You’ll be able to sync any new passwords you create on these browsers back to iCloud Keychain, and then be able to use them on your connected Apple devices.
Yes, this means Firefox users are left in the lighthouse for this one, and it also means you can still not access your passwords through your browser; Keychain is not built into a good ol ‘icloud-dot-com, and there is no Apple app that you can use on Windows, how could you a 1Password no LastPass.
To get started in Chrome, launch the browser and navigate to Chrome web store to catch the iCloud passwords expansion. Install it, and then uninstall iCloud for Windows if you haven’t already. You need version 12 of the app to extend them to be able to do anything. Apple seems to have pulled the update from the Microsoft Store right now, but you may have already updated it last week (or you will be able to update soon).
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I don’t have it, but I know you need to check that little password box to expand your browser to sync passwords back and forth to iCloud. So if you already have version 12.0 of iCloud of Windows – or when it appears – make sure you tick that option or your extension won’t be able to do anything. Additionally, working with the iCloud Passwords extension is as easy as any other password manager; you should not have things there.
However, trying to synchronize the extension may cause problems iCloud for Windows when using Chromium Edge. The extension installs fine, but you must point out that you are syncing with Internet Explorer, not Chrome, so you may need to change the setting of your “Bookmarks” settings. I’ll test this as soon as I get the updated version of the app, but that’s the quick fix I read that seems to have worked for others. Pretend Edge Chromium is Internet Explorer, not Chrome, even though it has a lot more like the last one.