Passkey.
A user-facing brand name for synced WebAuthn credentials that replace passwords with a phishing-resistant cryptographic key bound to the user's device or cloud password manager.
The passkey brand was introduced jointly by Apple, Google, and Microsoft in 2022 as the user-facing name for a UX they had been quietly building. Passkeys solved the cross-device usability problem that limited WebAuthn adoption: previously, registering a credential on a phone meant it didn't work on a laptop. Synced passkeys make the credential available wherever the user's cloud account is signed in.
Common questions
Can passkeys be phished?
Do passkeys work across devices?
Are passkeys the same as biometrics?
Related terms
In the guides
Passwordless Authentication: A 2026 Practitioner's Guide
How passkeys, magic links, and biometrics replace passwords in CIAM, with implementation patterns, adoption data, and vendor support.
WebAuthn Explained: How Passkeys Work Under the Hood
WebAuthn is the W3C browser API that powers passkeys. A practical explanation of registration, assertion, RP-IDs, attestation, and the architecture choices that determine adoption.