How to Fix the iCloud Keychain Not Syncing Issue

Synchronizing sensitive data between devices is pretty common nowadays, but the technology is exposed to bugs and problems. The same goes for the Apple ecosystem. It often happens that iCloud Keychain instances do not synchronize your passwords and credit card information between your iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

If this happens to you now, I strongly recommend that you enable iCloud Keychain to synchronize your data again. Manually inserting long alphanumeric passwords or entering your credit card details multiple times is not really a fun experience.

Fortunately, syncing issues with iCloud Keychain are relatively easy. So, without further ado, let's see how.

Note: If iCloud Keychain does not sync your data, the problem may also occur because the feature is not enabled on one or more of your devices in the first place. Do not forget to check if this is the case when you follow the troubleshooting procedure below.

Fixing the iCloud keychain

If iCloud Keychain does not synchronize your data between your devices, then there is a simple solution (recommended by Apple) to solve the problem. This involves turning off iCloud Keychain on all your Apple devices, then turning it back on from the device containing your most recent data. This will allow iCloud Keychain to sync your data again.

To make things easier, let's break down the process. We will start by turning off iCloud Keychain on your iPhone and iPad and turn it off on all macOS devices you own. After that, we will reactivate it in the right order. Just be sure to be connected to a strong internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular) during the process.

Important: When you disable iCloud Keychain, be sure to choose the option that allows you to keep your passwords and credit card information locally on your device. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing your data.

Disable the iCloud Keychain – iPhone and iPad

Step 1: On the iPhone and iPad, open the Settings app, and then tap your user profile. Follow this by tapping iCloud.

S2nd step: Scroll down the screen and press Keychain. On the next screen, turn off the switch next to iCloud Keychain.

Step 3: Tap Keep On My iPhone when confirmation is requested.

Wait a moment, then disable iCloud Keychain on any other iOS or iPadOS device you own.

Disable the iCloud keychain – Mac

Step 1: Open the Apple menu on your Mac, and then click System Preferences.

2nd step: Double-click the option labeled iCloud.

Step 3: Uncheck the box next to Keychain.

Step 4: In the pop-up menu that appears, click Keep on this Mac.

Continue to disable iCloud Keychain on all other MacOS devices you own.

Reactivate the iCloud keychain

Once you have finished turning off iCloud Keychain on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, you must then turn it back on all devices.

But preferably, you must first enable iCloud Keychain on the device that has the latest version of your keychain data. For example, if you changed your passwords or credit card details on a device after the synchronization problem started, first turn on iCloud Keychain on that device first.

Activate iCloud Keychain on the device containing the latest version of your data first.

You can always manually check your passwords and credit card information (go to the next section) to help you rack your brains if it's been a long time. But in most cases, your best judgment will suffice. The iCloud keychain will merge your passwords and credit card details with the latest changes, regardless of the activated command. Thus, you will not lose any data, even if you are wrong.

On the iPhone and iPad, simply return to the screen you visited while disabling iCloud Keychain – iPhone Settings> Profile> iCloud> iCloud Keychain. Then, turn on the switch next to iCloud Keychain. Wait a few minutes before activating it on any of your other iOS or iPadOS devices.

On the Mac, visit the iCloud panel (Apple Menu> System Preferences> iCloud), and then select the check box next to Keychain. Again, wait at least a few minutes before activating it on other devices.

Once you have re-enabled iCloud Keychain on all your devices, you can expect it to sync your data again normally.

Where are my passwords and credit card information?

If you can not remember the device that contains exactly your latest data, you can try manually checking your list of saved passwords and credit card information. But if there are a lot of passwords, it's not easy to understand. In this case, go with your guts. At most, you will have to completely redo the procedure if iCloud Keychain does not work.

Point: When you retrieve your saved login information, tap or click a password to reveal the characters.

iPhone and iPad

On the iPhone and iPad, go to the Settings panel, tap Passwords and Accounts, and then tap Apps and Websites Passwords to see your password list.

To check your saved credit card information, tap Safari in the Settings panel, then tap Credit cards saved.

Mac

On the Mac, open Safari. Then, click Safari in the menu bar at the top of the screen, and then click Preferences.

When the Password dialog box appears, click AutoFill and Passwords to check your credit card information and passwords, respectively.

Synchronized and ready to go

The iCloud keychain synchronizes your data transparently, for the most part. So, losing this incredible convenience factor can be maddening. I hope you have solved the problem and can now access your passwords and credit card information on all your Apple devices. Things have improved considerably compared to the previous situation of iCloud, but we will have to wait a while before a totally bug-free synchronization experience becomes the norm. So do not forget this fix when iCloud Keychain next crash on your devices.

Then: Do not like paying extra for iCloud storage only to store your photo backups? Try these five great alternatives instead.