We recently published an article titled The Mystery Of Passkeys Unravelled in which I attempted to clarify a number of the more confusing points regarding passkeys.
In response to that article, one of our regular readers posted a comment which included the following:
I run a system where I use multiple browsers on three devices and use multiple email addresses to segregate different interests. From what I can see, this passkey thing works if I use the same email address on each device and run just a single browser.
Essentially, that used to be true, but the introduction of “synced passkeys” has now made it possible to sync passkeys across multiple devices. Read on to learn how.
Device-Bound Passkeys vs Synced Passkeys
Passkeys were initially only available as device-bound passkeys, meaning they only work on the device on which they are created. Device-bound passkeys are still widely used today and considered the gold standard because they are encrypted and stored on the device and never leave the device, providing an enhanced level of security.
However, more recently we’ve seen the introduction of synced passkeys which, although not as secure, are more convenient because they do allow for cross-device synchronization via cloud-synchronized credentials.
Not all platforms support synced passkeys. However, Microsoft Password Manager does, and so do several dedicated 3rd-party password managers, including Bitwarden and 1Password.
Passkeys created by password managers are not device-bound; they are saved and encrypted within the password manager’s vault, which is protected either by biometrics, a master password, or a PIN.
2 Ways To Sync Passkeys Across Devices
A simple method for syncing passkeys across multiple Windows devices is via Microsoft’s Password Manager, which is built into the Edge browser. You must have a Microsoft account plus, of course, be using Edge on all devices. Sign into Edge with your Microsoft account and, away you go.
A more versatile way, which isn’t browser-specific, is to use a dedicated 3rd-party password manager. Bitwarden Password Manager, for example, provides browser extensions for Brave, Edge, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, DuckDuckGo, Vivaldi, and Tor.
Install the Bitwarden browser extension in all browsers on each device and… voilà. From now on, all the passkeys saved in your password manager will be accessible across all browsers on all devices.
BOTTOM LINE:
Because device-bound passkeys represent the gold standard, most tech writers still tend to exclusively explain how they work, hence the confusion.
Are synced passkeys secure enough? I believe they are. I’ve been using Bitwarden Password Manager protected by a super strong master password for a couple of years now with zero issues. Touch wood.
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