Note: Passkeys are in public beta and are subject to change.
You can opt-in to the public beta by enabling the feature preview. For more information, see "Enabling and disabling the feature preview for passkeys."
About passkeys
Passkeys allow you to sign in securely to GitHub.com, without having to input your password. If you use two-factor authentication (2FA), passkeys satisfy both password and 2FA requirements, so you can complete your sign in with a single step. You can also use passkeys for sudo mode and resetting your password.
Unlike security keys, passkeys have the security benefit of being user-verifying. This means passkeys verify your identity using "something you know" or "something you are", such as a PIN or biometric check of your fingerprint or face. When you sign in to GitHub.com using a passkey, you are using your device's authentication system (such as Mac TouchID, or Windows Hello) to prove your identity, which then unlocks a private key that GitHub can validate.
Since many passkeys are synced across devices and browsers using the same passkey provider (Apple OS, Android, password managers, etc.), once you have set up a synced passkey on one device, that passkey is available to use across multiple devices using the same passkey provider. For example, if you register FaceID as a passkey, you can then use that passkey with your face, fingerprint, PIN, or device password interchangeably across multiple devices tied to the same iCloud account. For more information about adding a passkey to your account, see "Managing your passkeys."
Passkeys can also be used across nearby devices. For example, perhaps you want to sign in to GitHub.com using a laptop that's not set up with a passkey. If you have registered your phone as a passkey, you might opt to scan a QR code, or trigger a push notification to your phone, in order to complete the sign in securely. For more information, see "Signing in with a passkey using a nearby device."
Since your passkey is protected by the passkey provider's account system (iCloud, Google account, password manager account, etc.), you cannot get locked out of your GitHub account unless you've also been locked out of your platform account.
For 2FA users, if you already have passkey-eligible security keys registered to your account for 2FA, you can easily upgrade these existing security keys into passkeys in your account settings. When you use an eligible security key to sign in, you'll also be asked if you want to upgrade it to a passkey. For more information, see "Upgrading an existing security key to a passkey."
For information on whether your device and operating system support passkeys, see Device support in the Passkeys.dev documentation, and Web Authentication API in the CanIUse documentation.
Enabling and disabling the feature preview for passkeys
You can disable or enable the beta on GitHub.com anytime.
If you add a passkey and then later choose to disable the feature preview, the passkey can still be used as a security key for 2FA.
- In the upper-right corner of any page, click your profile photo, then click Feature preview.
- To the right of "Passkeys", click Enable or Disable.
Feedback
You can share your feedback on passkeys with GitHub. To join the conversation, see "Passkey feature preview feedback."