Do you have things that need to be secured like PIN numbers, social security numbers, combinations for locks, and similar items? Most of us do. But where can you store these types of items securely yet have easy access to them when you it?
You can use the Notes app on your Apple device and set a password. And while that’s one good option, there is another – Secure Notes in Keychain Access on your Mac.
Keychain Access is an app that holds your keychain passwords along with account information, certificates, private keys, and related items. And an awesome built-in feature of Keychain Access is Secure Notes.
So if you’re looking for a safe spot to jot down information and access it quickly and easily, here’s how to use and store Secure Notes with Keychain Access.
Open Keychain Access
You can quickly open Keychain Access by entering the phrase into Spotlight search. Or, you can head to your Utilities folder with Go > Utilities from the Finder menu bar and select Keychain Access.
Add a Secure Note
Once you have Keychain Access open, you’ll want to choose a Keychain from the top of the sidebar. Alternatively, you can create a new one using File > New Keychain from the menu bar.
1) Under Category, choose Secure Note.
2) Click the plus sign button at the top or File > New Secure Note Item from the menu bar.
3) In the window that pops open, give your Secure Note a name and then enter the note.
4) Click Add when you finish and enter your keychain password when prompted.
Your new Secure Note will be added and kept safe and sound until you need it.
Access a Secure Note
When you need your note, open Keychain Access and select the Keychain and then Secure Notes from the sidebar.
If you have a lot of notes, you can use the Search or sort with the columns.
1) Select your note and click the Info button (small letter “i”) at the top or simply double-click the note.
2) When the Secure Note opens, the Attributes tab should be selected by default, but if not, click it.
Now, you won’t see the note’s contents right away; only the name and dates.
3) Check the Show note box and then enter your keychain password to view the note’s contents.
With your Secure Note open, you can make changes if needed and click the Save Changes button. Or, just grab the information you need and close the note.
Wrapping it up
Using the Secure Notes feature in Keychain Access on Mac is a good place to store information that you need to keep safe. Are you going to use this convenient spot for your sensitive items? Let us know!
For more, check out how to manually add passwords to Keychain Access and use the Password Assistant.