Google's official help page explains how to create a passkey on your Google Account and then sign in with a fingerprint, face scan or phone screen lock instead of typing a password. The steps below come from that Google documentation, retrieved October 2, 2026.
What it does
Google says passkeys can be used as a simple and secure alternative to passwords, letting you sign in to your Google Account with your fingerprint, face scan, or phone screen lock, like a PIN.
According to Google, passkeys can't be shared, copied, written down, or accidentally given to someone else, which it says makes them more secure against phishing. Using a passkey to sign in means you have access to your device and are able to unlock it, the company says.
Google also states that biometric data used for fingerprint or face unlock stays on your device and is never shared with Google. Adding a passkey does not change or remove any authentication or recovery factors currently on your account, and if your account has 2-Step Verification or is enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program, the passkey bypasses the second authentication step, since this verifies that you own the device.
Google warns that when you create a passkey, you opt in to a passkey-first, password-less sign-in experience, and says you should only create passkeys on devices you personally own and use. Even if you sign out of your Google Account, once you create a passkey, anyone who can unlock your device can access your Google Account, according to Google.
Before you start
Google lists the supported devices as a computer that runs at least Windows 10, macOS Ventura, ChromeOS 109, or up; a phone that runs Android 9, iOS 16, or up; or a hardware security key that supports the FIDO2 protocol. Supported browsers are Chrome 109 or up, Safari 16 or up, Edge 109 or up, and Firefox 122 or up.
Before you create and use a passkey, Google says to turn on your phone's screen lock; to turn on Bluetooth if you want to use a phone passkey to sign in on another computer; and to turn on iCloud Keychain for iPhone, iPad, and macOS devices. Google adds that setup prompts you to turn on iCloud Keychain if it is not set up already.
Google notes that on some operating systems and browsers you may not be able to create or use passkeys while in Incognito mode, and recommends checking that your operating system and browser are up to date.
If you have a Google Workspace account through your school or employer, Google says you may not be able to sign in with just a passkey, though you can still create passkeys as a second factor in 2-Step Verification, an account recovery option, or an option for some sensitive actions. Google says the "Skip password when possible" account settings page shows whether your admin allows passkey-only sign-in.
Steps: create a passkey
Step 1: Google says you may need to sign in to your Google Account or verify your identity to set up a passkey.
Step 2: To create a passkey on the phone or computer you're on, go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys.
Step 3: Tap Create a passkey. Google says you'll need to unlock your device. To create passkeys on multiple devices, repeat these steps on those devices.
Step 4: To create a passkey on a security key instead, go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys, tap Create a passkey and then Use another device, and follow the on-screen instructions. Google says you'll need to insert your hardware security key and enter its PIN or touch the fingerprint sensor on the key, and that the key must support the FIDO2 protocol.
Google adds that you may need to wait 7 days before a newly created passkey is available at sign-in, and that it advises against creating a passkey on a shared device. If Google detects a suspicious passkey, the company says it will disable it and notify you, and that you have 30 days from the date of the warning notification to confirm you added it before it is deleted.
Steps: sign in with a passkey
Step 1: Open the Google sign-in page and enter your username.
Step 2: Google says that when you tap the username field, you may find a list of passkeys; if so, tap the passkey you want to use. If you previously created a passkey on the device, follow the prompts to verify your identity.
Step 3: To unlock the device and verify your identity, follow the on-screen passkey instructions provided by your operating system and browser.
To sign in on a computer using a phone's passkey, Google says to enter your username on the computer's Google sign-in page, click Try another way and then Use your passkey, scan the QR code that appears with your phone's camera or QR code scanner app, tap Use passkey to sign in on your phone (or Sign in with a passkey on an iPhone or iPad), and verify your identity with your fingerprint, face unlock, or PIN. Google says to check that Bluetooth is on, and that the next time you sign in with the same computer and phone combination you'll automatically get a phone notification to verify your identity.
Google notes that after you sign out of an Android device you can sign in again with your passkey on that device for up to 6 hours; after 6 hours you need another method, and when you sign in again the Android device automatically generates a new passkey while the old one expires. On non-Android devices, Google says you can sign in again with your passkey at any time after signing out.
Steps: go back to a password, or remove a passkey
Step 1: To sign in with your password by default instead of a passkey, Google says to sign in to your Google Account, tap Security & sign-in, and under "How you sign in to Google," turn off Skip password when possible. Google says you'll then get a prompt for your password, and if you're enrolled in 2-Step Verification you can use any of your passkeys as the second step.
Step 2: To review existing passkeys, go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys and verify your identity if applicable. Google notes that if you have an Android device signed in with the account, passkeys may have been automatically registered for you.
Step 3: To remove a passkey you created, go to your Google Account, tap Security & sign-in, tap Passkeys and security keys under "How you sign in to Google," select the passkey, and tap Remove. For a passkey automatically created by an Android device, Google says to tap Manage all devices under "Your devices," then tap the device and Sign out.
Step 4: If a device with your passkey is lost or stolen, Google says to sign in to your Google Account on a device you can access and remove the passkey on the lost or stolen device. If you removed a passkey but are still prompted for it, Google says to check whether the passkey is in a third-party credential manager and remove it there, using that manager's support documentation.
What Google says about troubleshooting
If a passkey doesn't show up at sign-in, Google says to check that the device with the passkey has screen lock turned on, since a passkey can't be used on a device with screen lock off, and to check in account security settings at myaccount.google.com/security whether "Skip password when possible" is on. It repeats that you may need to wait 7 days before a newly created passkey is available at sign-in.
To sign in without a passkey, Google says to tap Try another way, which skips the passkey option and returns to your earlier sign-in choices. The company adds that if you often choose "Try another way," it reflects your preferences and offers the passkey option less frequently, and that repeatedly signing in with passkeys can change this.
What to do
- Turn on your phone's screen lock before creating a passkey, and turn on Bluetooth if you plan to use a phone passkey to sign in on a computer.
- On iPhone, iPad and macOS devices, turn on iCloud Keychain, which Google says you will be prompted to do during setup if it isn't already configured.
- Go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys and tap Create a passkey, then unlock your device; repeat on each device where you want a passkey.
- For a hardware security key, choose Use another device, insert the FIDO2 key, and enter its PIN or touch its fingerprint sensor.
- Avoid creating passkeys on shared devices, and only create them on devices you personally own and use, Google says.
- To sign in, open the Google sign-in page, enter your username, tap the passkey listed in the username field, and follow your operating system's prompts to unlock the device.
- To use a phone passkey on a computer, click Try another way, then Use your passkey, scan the QR code with your phone, tap Use passkey to sign in, and verify with fingerprint, face unlock or PIN.
- To prefer passwords, sign in to your Google Account, tap Security & sign-in, and turn off Skip password when possible under "How you sign in to Google."
- If a device with a passkey is lost or stolen, sign in on another device and remove that passkey under Passkeys and security keys.
- If a removed passkey is still offered at sign-in, check your third-party credential manager and remove it there.
Key facts and where they come from
- Google says passkeys let you sign in with a fingerprint, face scan or phone screen lock such as a PIN.
you can sign in to your Google Account with your:
Fingerprint
Face scan
Phone screen lock, like a PIN
- Passkeys bypass the second step for accounts with 2-Step Verification or Advanced Protection.
If your account has 2-Step Verification or is enrolled in the Advanced Protection Program, your passkey bypasses the second authentication step
- Setup starts at myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys and the Create a passkey button.
Go to myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/passkeys.
Tap Create a passkey Create a passkey.
You'll need to unlock your device.
- Google lists minimum supported platforms including Windows 10, macOS Ventura, ChromeOS 109, Android 9 and iOS 16.
A computer that runs at least Windows 10, macOS Ventura, ChromeOS 109, or up
A phone that runs Android 9, iOS 16, or up
- A newly created passkey may take 7 days to become available at sign-in.
You may need to wait 7 days before a newly created passkey is available at sign-in.
- Signing in on a computer with a phone's passkey uses a QR code and Bluetooth.
Click Try another way Use your passkey.
A QR code appears on your computer screen.
- Password-first sign-in can be restored by turning off Skip password when possible.
Under "How you sign in to Google," turn off Skip password when possible.
- Google says anyone who can unlock your device can access your account once a passkey exists.
Even if you sign out of your Google Account, once you create a passkey, anyone who can unlock your device can access your Google Account.
- Suspicious passkeys are disabled, with 30 days to confirm before deletion.
You have 30 days from the date of your warning notification to confirm you added this passkey to your account.
- Workspace users may not be able to sign in with a passkey alone, depending on their admin.
If you have a Google Workspace account through your school or employer, you may not be able to sign in with just a passkey.