To recover passkeys on a new phone, first restore access to the password manager or platform account that saved them. Synced passkeys can become available after the required account and encryption checks. A passkey stored only on a lost device cannot simply be recreated from its name; you need another sign-in or recovery route for that service.
Keep a working old phone until you have verified the replacement. If it is lost or stolen, use the provider’s lost-device protections promptly. Routine migration and securing a missing phone require different priorities.
Find Out Where the Passkey Is Stored
- Apple Passwords/iCloud Keychain: check the Apple Account and whether password syncing was enabled.
- Google Password Manager: check which Google Account contains the saved entry.
- Another password manager: sign back into that provider and the correct vault.
- A security key or device-only authenticator: the credential may remain tied to that device rather than sync to your phone.
The device you used to create a passkey is not necessarily its only storage location. Look at the saved entry and the provider selected in the sign-in prompt. If you used several Google Accounts or separate personal and work vaults, check each relevant account before concluding the passkey is missing.
Restore Apple Passkeys on an iPhone
For passkeys stored in iCloud Keychain, follow Apple’s current Keychain setup guidance.
- Sign in to the same Apple Account on the replacement iPhone and complete its verification prompts.
- Open Settings > your name > iCloud > Passwords. On iOS 17 or earlier, the label is Passwords and Keychain.
- Turn on Sync this iPhone and complete any requested approval or passcode checks.
- Open Passwords and look for the relevant service. Test a sign-in on the new phone before erasing the old one.
Apple Account access and access to encrypted Keychain data are related but separate checks. Signing in alone may not complete recovery. Follow the official Keychain recovery process if an old passcode or another verification step is required. Do not reset encrypted data as a casual troubleshooting step: read exactly what would be removed first.
An Apple recovery contact can help with supported recovery without receiving ordinary access to your account. That is different from sharing your passwords or appointing a legacy contact.
Restore Google Passkeys on Android
Google explains that passkeys saved in Google Password Manager sync through the Google Account. Set up a screen lock on the replacement phone, sign in to the correct account and open Google Password Manager to check its entries.
Complete the encryption-unlock prompt shown by Google. Depending on your setup and the operation, this may require an earlier device’s screen lock or a Google Password Manager PIN. Your Google Account password is not a universal substitute for those protections. Avoid repeated guesses if you do not recognise the requested code.
If Android offers the wrong provider, search device Settings for passwords. Google’s Android passkey guidance describes selecting and enabling the intended password manager under passwords, passkeys and accounts. Labels can vary by manufacturer.
Check Third-Party Managers and Platform Changes
If you stored a passkey in a separate password manager, install its official app, restore access to your existing account, unlock the correct vault and enable its credential-provider option on the phone. Recovering your Apple or Google account will not necessarily recover a separate manager’s vault.
Moving between Android and iPhone can require an additional transfer or a new passkey. Do not assume that signing into a different ecosystem copies everything. Google now documents direct password and passkey transfers with supported apps on Android. Availability depends on the source, destination and device requirements.
A normal password CSV is not a passkey backup. If a supported transfer is unavailable, use an existing sign-in method to register a new passkey with the service. For broader migrations, see our password-manager switching checklist.
If the Passkey Still Does Not Appear
- Try a second trusted device or registered hardware security key that already works.
- If the sign-in page offers it, use a nearby phone’s passkey through the QR-code cross-device flow. Follow the proximity and Bluetooth prompts. This signs you in; it does not by itself copy the passkey to the new phone.
- Use another method already registered with that service, such as a password, backup code or recovery process. Available options vary.
- Once signed in, open the service’s security settings and register a passkey with the intended provider on your new phone.
- Test it in a fresh sign-in while preserving a working fallback. For a managed work or school account, ask the administrator before changing required authentication methods.
If every registered authenticator and recovery route is unavailable, account recovery may fail. No generic passkey-recovery tool can promise to unlock every service. Use official support rather than paying an unknown person who claims to extract missing credentials.
Handle a Lost Phone and Finish the Move
For a missing device, follow Apple’s lost-iPhone steps or Google’s lost-Android guidance from a trusted device. Mark or lock it as lost where supported, assess account exposure and use the official recovery process if needed. Do not leave an exposed device unsecured while waiting to complete a migration.
For an ordinary replacement, check important services individually, including your email and password manager. Review obsolete device sessions and passkeys in each service after confirming the new route works. A synced passkey may be shared across your approved devices, so deleting it without understanding its scope could remove access you still need.
Keep an independent recovery route for essential accounts. If restoring the password-manager account is the obstacle, use our master-password recovery checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will all my passkeys appear automatically on a new phone?
No. Synced passkeys depend on access to the right provider account and completion of its encryption checks. Device-bound passkeys and unsupported migrations need another sign-in or recovery route.
Does scanning a sign-in QR code transfer my passkey?
Not by itself. A cross-device sign-in uses the passkey on the other device to authenticate you. Register or transfer a passkey separately if you need it stored on the new phone.
Can a password CSV restore passkeys?
No. Use a specifically supported passkey transfer or restore the original credential provider. Ordinary password CSV files do not contain the required passkey credentials.
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Stuart Kerr Spindlow is Impulsec’s Publisher, Chief Editor and Lead Reviewer. He writes and maintains coverage of consumer cybersecurity and digital-safety software, with a focus on practical suitability, limitations and the evidence behind product claims. Read Stuart’s full profile.