How to Generate Custom Passwords in macOS 13 Keychain

macOS 13 (Ventura) allows you to automatically generate strong passwords through iCloud Keychain, but its built-in customization settings are limited. While it does not offer advanced sliders for specific character counts or symbol toggles like standalone password managers, macOS 13 does provide basic configuration options such as "Easy to Type" and "No Special Characters." This guide explains how iCloud Keychain generates passwords, how to access its available custom options, and how to adapt passwords for sites with strict requirements.

Generating Passwords in Safari

When you sign up for a new account or change an existing password in Safari on macOS 13, iCloud Keychain triggers an automated prompt:

  1. Click on the New Password field on any website.
  2. Safari will automatically display a suggested strong password.
  3. Click the suggested password to open a contextual menu.
  4. Select Other Options to view available customizations.

From this menu, you can choose:

  • Suggest New Password: Generates a different default strong password.
  • Easy to Type: Creates a combination of hyphen-separated words and numbers that are easier to enter manually on other devices.
  • No Special Characters: Produces an alphanumeric string without symbols, which is useful for websites that reject special characters.

Generating and Editing Passwords in System Settings

You can also create and store custom login credentials manually without visiting a website:

  1. Open System Settings from the Apple menu.
  2. Scroll down the sidebar and select Passwords.
  3. Authenticate using Touch ID or your Mac user password.
  4. Click the Add (+) button in the top-right corner.
  5. Enter the website URL and your username.
  6. Click into the Password field. iCloud Keychain will automatically insert a generated strong password.
  7. If the target website has specific complexity requirements (such as a maximum character limit or specific required symbols), manually delete or modify characters directly in this field.
  8. Click Save.

Limitations of iCloud Keychain Customization

iCloud Keychain in macOS 13 adheres to a standardized format (typically 20 characters, including letters, numbers, and hyphens). It does not allow users to set precise parameters, such as restricting a password to exactly 14 characters or forcing the inclusion of specific symbols like @ or #. If a website rejects the standard iCloud Keychain format, manually editing the suggested password within the Safari field or the System Settings menu is the standard method to satisfy specific credential rules.