- Go to myaccount.google.com;
- Select the Security tab from the left menu;
- Choose Passkeys and Security Keys under the How You Sign In To Google section;
- Remove the passkey you created;
- If you have a device-bound key, such as on an Android device, signing out of that device will remove the passkey. The link next to these devices will take you to the right page, but you can navigate to Your Devices in the Security section, as well.
Other websites that support passkeys allow you to remove them, as well. In our Best Buy example, for instance, you’ll find a Remove All Passkeys button in the same place you created the passkey. After that’s done, you can regenerate a passkey following the steps above on a new device you have access to. In the event you can’t access a new device, Google and other services that support passkeys have fallback options, including a recovery code or your standard password.
Why Passkeys Are Easier With a Password Manager
The problem with using your Google for passkey storage is, well, Google.
Apple, Microsoft, and Google have all been quick to adopt passkeys as an alternative form of authentication, and they’ve been just as quick to place restrictions on where you can and can’t save or use passkeys. It’s a mess. For instance, when you log in to iCloud, Apple says you can use a passkey but only with a device running iOS. Google automatically generated a passkey for my account when I recently switched my phone to the OnePlus 13R, and yet it doesn’t work, no matter how many QR codes I scan on a device that, supposedly, holds my Google passkey. Then there’s Windows and Microsoft. Those keys don’t even work across devices.
To avoid the platform-locked squabble of multibillion-dollar corporations, I recommend using a third-party password manager. Most of the best password managers come with passkey support, and you’ll be able to save and sync your passkeys across devices.
I use Proton Pass, but 1Password, NordPass, and others also support passkeys. You can save passkeys in Chromium-based browsers with your password manager’s extension, and both Android and iOS now allow third-party apps to store and manage passkeys.
There’s no nonsense about which devices support which passkeys, and you don’t need to tap dance around your devices just to save one. Most importantly, storing your passkeys in a password manager gives you flexibility. If you want to switch from Android to iPhone, or from macOS to Windows, or try out some new, hot browser, you can. Some services, such as Proton Pass, even allow you to share and export passkeys.
