Add a passkey
Why a passkey is worth adding to a new account, how to add one while you choose a password or later, and what to do about a second one.
On this page
Every TDACorp account has a password, and a passkey is the stronger way to sign in. Registration asks you to choose a password, and lets you add a passkey in the same step. This page says why a passkey is worth adding, and shows how to add one now or later.
Why a passkey#
The offer that follows a password sign-in (see Passkey offer) lists two reasons.
- Signs in with your device lock. Face, fingerprint or screen lock. Nothing to type.
- Resists phishing. The private key stays on your device or in your password manager, and only works on our real site.
The second point is the important one. A password can be typed into a fake page. A passkey cannot, because your device only uses it for the genuine site. See Passkeys and passwords for the comparison and Passkeys for how identity uses them.
Identity asks your device for a passkey that does not need you to type your email first, and it requires you to verify yourself on the device, for example with a fingerprint or a screen lock. A passkey you create works for every TDACorp product that signs in through identity, not only the one you came from.
Add one while creating the account#
After you verify your email address, the Choose a password page says Choose a password to finish creating your account. You can add a passkey as well. It has two fields, New password and Confirm the new password, with a hint: Use a long passphrase. Pasting from a password manager works. Below them are two buttons: Create account, which finishes with the password alone, and Add a passkey and finish.
- Type the password twice. If the two entries differ the page says The two entries do not match. Where the check service is available, a password you choose is also checked against known data breaches before it is accepted.
- Select Add a passkey and finish to add a passkey as well. The page checks the password first, so a refused password does not waste the prompt. Then approve the prompt your browser, phone or password manager shows, with your face, fingerprint or screen lock. Or select Create account to continue with the password alone.
- The page says Your account is ready. Select Continue to sign in.
Two things can happen at the passkey prompt.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| No passkey was created. You can try again, or create the account with the password alone. | You dismissed the prompt. Select Add a passkey and finish again, or select Create account. |
| This browser cannot create a passkey. | Select Create account to finish with the password alone, or use a browser or device that supports passkeys. |
Choosing the password alone#
A password alone is a weaker start, and your security checkup will keep suggesting a passkey until you add one. You can add one later without losing anything.
Add a passkey to an existing account#
- Sign in and open Security, then the Passkeys tab.
- Optionally type a name in Name for this passkey, for example the device it lives on. The page suggests exactly that.
- Select Add a passkey. The page shows Waiting for your device while you approve the prompt.
- The page says Passkey added. and the passkey appears under Your passkeys with when it was added and last used. Until it is used it shows Not used yet.
Adding a passkey is a sensitive change. The page can ask you to confirm first, and the platform emails a security alert to your verified addresses saying Passkey added. If you did not add one, see If you think your account was taken over. If you add a passkey from the sign-in page, it may tell you Your passkey is saved. Sign in again to use it.
A tip from the checkup: the A way back in step is done when you have a second passkey or unused recovery codes. A second passkey on a different device, or in a different password manager, means losing one device cannot lock you out. See Protecting a lost device.
Managing passkeys#
- Rename gives a passkey a clearer name, with Save name to confirm.
- Remove passkey stops that passkey working and signs your other devices out. Your device may still list the passkey until you delete it there too.
- The platform refuses to remove your only way to sign in. Add another passkey or set a password first.
A passkey is tied to the identity domain it was created for, and no tool can move it to another domain. The full detail is on Passkeys.