What Passkeys Are and Why Portability Matters
Passkeys replace traditional passwords with a pair of cryptographic keys: a private key that stays on your device and a public key that websites and apps use to verify you. To sign in, you simply authenticate on your device using a fingerprint, face scan, or device passcode. Because the private key never leaves your device and only works with the original site, passkeys are highly resistant to phishing and far easier to use than memorising complex passwords. The catch used to be portability. Your passkeys lived inside one ecosystem or app, making password manager switching risky. If you changed tools, you often had to recreate logins from scratch. Thanks to the Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) backed by the FIDO Alliance, passkey import export is becoming standard. This new passkey portability means you can move passkeys between apps much like you already move passwords.
Apple Passwords: Moving Passkeys In and Out
Apple’s Passwords app was among the first to offer a user‑friendly way to move passkeys between apps, helping many hesitant users finally embrace the technology. To export, you install and set up your new password manager on the same device as Apple Passwords. Then open Passwords, go to the home screen, tap the three dots in the top‑right, and choose Export Data to Another App. From there, you can select specific logins that have passkeys or export everything. After confirming on the Export Passwords screen, you pick a supported password manager—such as 1Password—and your passkeys are transferred. On a Mac, the same feature appears under File > Export Selected Items to App. Importing works in reverse: start from your current password manager’s export option, then choose Passwords on the Export Passwords page and confirm. This workflow shows how mature passkey portability already is in Apple’s ecosystem.
Google Password Manager and Android Catch Up
Google has backed the same Credential Exchange Protocol that powers passkey migration, and work is now surfacing inside Google Password Manager on Android. A hidden interface, recently spotted in testing, reveals options to both import and export passkeys. Because CXP transfers on Android rely on Google Play Services and Google Password Manager as the underlying infrastructure, this strongly suggests that system‑level support for passkey migration is being put in place. Once fully launched, this will make it possible to move passkeys between apps on Android, such as from Google Password Manager to third‑party managers or even between vendors like Samsung Pass and others that support passkeys. For everyday users, this closes a major gap: switching password managers will no longer mean abandoning secure, convenient passkey logins. As Android aligns with Apple and major password managers, passkey portability is set to become a baseline feature rather than a rare bonus.
How to Move Passkeys Between Password Managers Safely
To move passkeys between apps, start by installing your new password manager on the same device as your current one. In your existing app (Apple Passwords, Google Password Manager, or another major manager), look for export options, often labeled Export Data, Export Passwords, or similar within settings or the file menu. When you initiate passkey import export, you’ll typically see an Export Passwords page that lists compatible apps. Choose the target password manager and confirm the transfer. Some tools let you export only selected passkeys, while others require you to export your entire vault. After migration, test logins for a few critical accounts to confirm everything works before deleting anything from the old app. Keep both apps secured with strong device authentication, and avoid exporting to untrusted destinations or files. Treat this process like a secure backup operation: deliberate, controlled, and verified before you fully commit to password manager switching.
Why Passkey Portability Future‑Proofs Your Security
Being able to move passkeys between apps does more than make migrations easier—it reduces vendor lock‑in and future‑proofs your digital life. Previously, choosing passkeys meant tying your most secure logins to a single ecosystem, which discouraged many people from adopting them despite clear security advantages. With broad support for the Credential Exchange Protocol among major password managers and platforms, you regain control: your authentication data can move with you as your needs change. As more services adopt passkeys and phase out traditional passwords, this flexibility becomes critical. You can experiment with different password managers, switch when features improve elsewhere, or consolidate family accounts without re‑enrolling every login. The emerging standard of passkey portability ensures that convenience and security go hand in hand, turning passkeys from a promising concept into a practical, long‑term replacement for passwords across platforms and devices.