Keychain is Apple’s password management system in OS X. It was introduced with Mac OS 8.6, and has been included in all subsequent versions of Mac OS, including Mac OS X. An OS X Keychain can contain various types of data: Passwords (for Websites, FTP servers, SSH accounts, network shares, wireless networks, groupware applications, encrypted disk images), private keys, certificates, and secure notes.

Your Mac’s OS X also has a built-in Password Assistant that can help you create good, strong passwords. To get to it, just launch KeyChain Access (found in Applications/Utilities), choose File>New Password Item and use the “Password” input box to design your passwords. To gain access to more options, you can click the button with the black key icon located next to the “Password” input box which will bring up the Password Assistant which can make passwords for you (“memorable, “letters and numbers,” etc.). Both options provide a colorful bar that goes from dark red (weak) to dark green (excellent) to indicate the Password Strength.

OS X Password Assistant

MacDailyNews Note: Note for Windows sufferers and/or Android settlers who might have stumbled across this article: Don’t use “trekkers495652*transcendentally” as a password, okay? Everybody just saw that one!