Passkeys

Last updated on 21 Aug 2026

Passkeys are the passwordless way to sign in: instead of typing something a phishing site could steal, you approve the sign-in with your fingerprint, your face, or your device PIN.

Under the hood the website holds a lock and your device holds the matching key, and the key never leaves your device. Nothing to remember, nothing to leak.

The one thing worth understanding is that a passkey doesn't live in the website, and it doesn't really live in the browser either. It lives in a wallet. That wallet can be:

💻 on your computer (Windows Hello on Windows, iCloud Keychain on Mac),
📲 on a phone
🧩 using a password manager (extension) like 1Password, Bitwarden, or LastPass
🔑 a hardware security key
💾 using Google's and Microsoft's own password managers.

Which wallet holds your passkey decides what happens when you start using it in Wavebox.

Wallets that work in Wavebox out of the box

Your computer. Wavebox is a full Chromium browser, so passkeys stored by the operating system work as standard. On Windows, that's Windows Hello. On Mac, that's iCloud Keychain, and a passkey saved there also syncs to your other Apple devices.

Your phone. When a site asks for a passkey, choose the option to use another device and a QR code appears. Scan it with your phone, approve with your fingerprint or face, and you're in. This works with the passkeys already on your phone, including ones you originally created for Google or Microsoft accounts.

A password manager extension. Install your password manager's extension in Wavebox from the Chrome Web Store, sign in to it, and every passkey it holds comes with it. This is the tidiest answer if you work across several browsers or computers, because the manager syncs your passkeys everywhere it's installed.

A hardware key. Plug in or tap, exactly as in any other browser.

The one wallet that stays behind

Passkeys saved into Google Password Manager inside Chrome belong to Chrome, and they don't appear in other browsers, Wavebox included.

The same applies to passkeys tied into Edge and your Microsoft account. You don't lose anything, they still work in the browser that made them, but Wavebox can't see them. The fix is simple, because sites let you keep several passkeys on one account.

Sign in to the site once using another route (the phone QR code usually works, or your password)
Then go to the account's security settings and add a new passkey, saving it to a wallet Wavebox can reach: your computer or your password manager extension.
From then on it's one touch in Wavebox, and your Chrome passkey carries on working too.

One tip for multi-account life

If you run several accounts of the same service in different Spaces, a password manager extension is worth considering as your passkey wallet, since it copes well with many accounts per site, and in Wavebox you can choose which Spaces the extension runs in.

Mini FAQ

Do I have to set up my passkeys again in Wavebox? Only if they were saved into Chrome's own password manager. Passkeys stored by Windows Hello, iCloud Keychain, your phone, a password manager extension, or a hardware key work in Wavebox as they are.

Can I use the passkey on my phone to sign in on my computer? Yes. Choose the another-device option when a site asks for a passkey, scan the QR code with your phone, and approve there.

Can one account have more than one passkey? Yes, and that's the recommended setup: one in each wallet you use, so every browser and device has its own way in. Adding a passkey for Wavebox doesn't remove or break the ones you already have.

Which password managers handle passkeys? The major ones do, including 1Password, Bitwarden, Dashlane, and LastPass. Install the extension in Wavebox, sign in, and it offers to save and use passkeys just as it does elsewhere.