# Keychain Access

Canonical page: /glossary/keychain-access

API keys & secrets glossary, macOS Keychain & security. Keychain Access: Apple's Built-In App for the Keychain

**Short answer:** Keychain Access is the graphical app, included with every Mac in the Utilities folder, for browsing, adding, and removing items stored in the macOS Keychain. It shows passwords, certificates, keys, and notes, and lets you reveal a stored password after you authenticate.

## Why it matters

Keychain Access is general purpose: it was not designed around API keys specifically, so items you add manually show up with generic fields rather than anything tailored to a key's name, project, or expiry.

## In Claude Keychain

Claude Keychain does not replace Keychain Access, entries it creates are still visible there, it adds a focused list, add and reveal flow, and a Claude Code connection on top of the same underlying store.

## Common questions

**Do I need to use Keychain Access if I have Claude Keychain?**

No, Claude Keychain covers adding, viewing, and deleting the keys it manages, though the entries remain visible in Keychain Access too.

**Can I delete a Claude Keychain entry from Keychain Access directly?**

You can, but it is safer to delete it from Claude Keychain so its local index of names stays in sync.

## Related

[macOS Keychain](/glossary/macos-keychain), [security command](/glossary/security-command), [Login keychain vs System keychain](/glossary/login-vs-system-keychain)