Set up passkeys (phishing-resistant sign-in)
Personal setupSecurity · about 10 min · Everyone — enable where offered
A passkey replaces your password with your device’s fingerprint, face, or PIN. It can’t be phished or reused, and it’s becoming the default sign-in across Google, Microsoft, Apple, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Passkeys are vendor-aligned — each one lives in an ecosystem (Google, Apple, Microsoft, or a device like Windows Hello).
Passkeys complement your MFA — they don’t replace it
Turn passkeys on where a site offers them, but keep your authenticator app and recovery codes too. A passkey lives in a platform keychain (e.g. iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager) and can sync across that ecosystem’s devices — but it won’t follow you outside that ecosystem, so your authenticator (with cloud backup) and recovery codes are how you get in from anywhere or recover a lost device.
- 1
Add a passkey on your phone
When a site (Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Facebook) offers to create a passkey, accept it and confirm with your phone’s fingerprint/face. The passkey is stored securely in your Google or Apple account.
- 2
Turn on Windows Hello on your computer
On Windows, set up Windows Hello (Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options) with a PIN or fingerprint/face. Sites can then create a passkey tied to your computer.
- 3
Keep your authenticator MFA as backup
Do not remove your authenticator app or recovery codes after adding passkeys — they’re your fallback if you lose the device that holds a passkey. See the Multi-Factor Authentication and Password Manager guides.
Common questions
Do passkeys replace my authenticator app?
No — they complement it. Turn passkeys on where offered for faster, phishing-resistant sign-in, but keep your authenticator app and recovery codes as the fallback that works from any device and any ecosystem.
What happens to my passkey if I lose my device?
A passkey lives in a platform keychain (iCloud Keychain or Google Password Manager) and syncs to that ecosystem’s other devices, so a replacement phone signed into the same account gets it back — if sync was on. If not, you fall back to your authenticator app and recovery codes, which is exactly why FFC has you keep them.
Next setup guides
Stuck on any step? Text Clarke Moyer at (520) 222-8104 — every step is meant to be simple, so if something doesn't match what you see, ask.