Experiencing Issues with Keychain Access

Summary

Instructions for what to do when Keychain Access consistently freezes/crashes, or if apps persistently prompt to access the keychain.

Body

Issue/Question

An app(s) persistently prompts:

[App name] wants to use the login keychain.

Alternatively, Keychain Access freezes or crashes when trying to open it.

Environment

  • macOS

Cause

The information stored in Keychain Access can become corrupted, causing the app to freeze/crash, or causing apps incapable of accessing the information stored in the keychain.

Resolution

  1. Click Finder.
  2. Click Go.
  3. Select Go to Folder ... .
  4. Enter
    ~/Library/Keychains
  5. Click Go.
  6. Delete the entries for the files containing the name of the app(s) prompting to use the keychain.
  7. Restart the computer.
If no entries contain the name of the app(s) in question, or if Keychain Access continues to freeze/crash, then the entire contents of ~/Library/Keychains will need to be deleted. This will cause all information stored in Keychain Access to be lost.

Details

Details

Article ID: 2502
Created
Tue 1/3/17 3:42 PM
Modified
Wed 7/29/20 12:58 PM

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Instructions to reset the default Keychain Access password.