How to share a password with iPhone: shared groups, AirDrop and the limits for work accounts

What are the two ways to share a password from an iPhone?

Apple gives you two ways to share a password from an iPhone: a shared group in the Passwords app, or a one-time copy sent with AirDrop.

A shared group is a set of passwords and passkeys that several people can use, and that stays in sync for everyone in it. AirDrop sends a single copy of one password to one nearby person, and that copy is theirs from then on.

Everything in this guide comes from Apple Support's iPhone User Guide and Passwords User Guide for Mac, checked on 2026-10-18. Menu names can change between iOS versions, so check Apple's current page if a button looks different.

What do you need before you share a password with iPhone?

You need to be signed in to your Apple Account, and the people you share with must be in your contacts and on iOS 17, iPadOS 17 or macOS 14 or later.

According to Apple Support (checked 2026-10-18), these are the requirements:

• Apple Account: you must be signed in on the device you share from.
• Contacts: each person you add must be in your contacts.
• Software version: recipients need iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS 14 or later.
• Sign in with Apple accounts: sharing these needs iOS 18, iPadOS 18 or macOS 15 or later.
• One group per item: each password or passkey can be in only one shared group.
• AirDrop only: iCloud Keychain must be set up, and each of you must be in the other's Contacts under the email used for iCloud.

When you add someone, a blue contact can be added. A gray contact means their device may not support shared groups.

How to share passwords with a shared group on iPhone

To share passwords with a group on iPhone, create a New Shared Group in the Passwords app, add people, then move the passwords into the group.

1. Open the Passwords app and tap the New Shared Group button. Apple's guide shows it as an icon with no label.
2. Enter a group name, tap Add People, type a name, email or phone number, then tap Add.
3. Tap Create, select the passwords you want to share, then tap Move.
4. Each invitee opens Passwords, goes to Group Invitations, taps the invite and taps Accept.

Once people accept, anyone in the group can add credentials, and changes sync to everyone. That is useful when one person rotates a password: the rest of the group gets the new one without being sent it again.

How to share a password with Mac using a shared group

On a Mac, open the Passwords app and choose File › New Shared Group, then add people and move items in, much as you would on an iPhone.

1. Open the Passwords app and choose File › New Shared Group.
2. Name the group, then choose Add People, add each person and select Create.
3. Select the passwords to include, then choose Move. You can optionally choose Notify via Messages.
4. To add more items later, select the group in the sidebar, then Add Items › Move.

The steps differ by device, but the rules are the same: invitees accept the invitation, anyone in the group can add credentials, and changes sync to everyone (source: Apple Support, Passwords User Guide for Mac, checked 2026-10-18).

How do you AirDrop a password to someone?

To AirDrop a password, open Passwords › All, tap the account, tap the share button, choose Share with AirDrop and pick the person.

1. Make sure iCloud Keychain is set up and you are each in the other's Contacts under your iCloud email.
2. Open Passwords and go to All.
3. Tap the account, tap the share button, then tap Share with AirDrop.
4. Choose the person. They tap Accept, and the password is saved to their iCloud Keychain.

AirDrop sends a copy. Apple documents no way to take it back, so if you later change the password, the other person keeps the old one, and if they no longer need access, the only fix is to change the password yourself.

How do you remove someone from a shared password group?

Tap the group name, tap the person, then tap Remove From Group; only the group owner can do this.

• Remove a member: tap the group name, tap their name, then Remove From Group.
• Remove a password: tap the group name, tap Select, pick the item, then tap the delete button.
• Delete the whole group: tap the group name, tap your own name, then Delete Group.

Only the person who created the group can add or remove members. Other members can leave at any time. Removing someone stops future syncing to them, but they may already have seen or used the password, so change it on the website if they shouldn't sign in any more.

Is Apple password sharing a good fit for work accounts?

Apple password sharing works well for a few people who all use Apple devices and trust each other, but it has gaps for most work teams.

The limits below come from the requirements above, not from a judgement about Apple's security:

• Apple devices only. A colleague on Windows or Android can't join a shared group.
• No hidden passwords. Group members use shared credentials like any other saved password, so they can view and copy them. There is no option to let someone sign in without seeing the password.
• Personal Apple Accounts. The group lives in personal Apple Accounts and contacts, not in a company-managed account.
• One owner. Only the creator can manage members. If that person leaves the company, nobody else can remove people.
• One group per item. You can't put the same login in a "Marketing" group and an "Agency" group.

For a household or a two-person business on iPhones, that may be fine. Once contractors, mixed devices or staff turnover are involved, plan for it before the first login is shared. Our employee offboarding password checklist shows what to change when someone leaves.

What should a team use when not everyone has an iPhone?

Use a team password manager that runs in any browser, gives each person their own account, and lets you choose who sees what.

Before choosing one, check it covers these points:

1. Each teammate signs in with their own account, not a shared one.
2. You can share single passwords or whole folders, and set view or edit rights.
3. Someone can be allowed to sign in without seeing or copying the password.
4. An admin can remove a leaver and see which passwords to change.
5. 2FA codes can be shared without passing one phone around.

BobWork Vault is a free password manager for teams that covers these. It runs as a Chrome extension (also Edge, Brave and Arc) and as a web vault at vault.bobwork.ai/login that works in any modern browser, including Safari on a Mac. There is no iPhone app, so it suits teams who do most of their work on computers. You share per password or through shared folders with Owner, Edit, View or Login only access for contractors, where the extension fills the password but the teammate can't see or copy it. Items are encrypted in the browser, and the server stores ciphertext only.

It also stores authenticator secrets, so you can share 2FA codes with your team without one person's phone becoming a bottleneck. For the wider picture, see how to share passwords with teammates.

Quick checklist before you share any work password

Share the smallest amount of access, to named people, in a way you can take back.

• Can the person get their own account on the service instead? Prefer that.
• Does the login have 2FA? Decide who holds it before you share.
• Will you need to revoke it? If so, avoid one-off copies such as AirDrop.
• Does the person need to see the password, or only sign in?
• Is the password unique and long? NIST SP 800-63B recommends length over forced complexity.
• Who changes it when someone leaves, and how will everyone get the new one?

If your team works mainly on computers and needs those controls, create a free BobWork Vault account and invite teammates from Settings › Team › Invite teammate.

Try BobWork Vault — free for your whole team

BobWork Vault is a free, zero-knowledge password manager for teams, made by BobWork (BobOffice, LLC). Shared folders, login-only access, 2FA codes and guided offboarding, end-to-end encrypted. Add it to Chrome or create a free account.

Keep reading

• How to share a password without revealing it to contractors, agencies and interns
• Employee offboarding checklist: what to revoke, rotate and hand over
• How to share 2FA codes with your team without waiting for one person's phone
• How to share passwords with your team

More: free password manager · free team password manager · free company password manager · company password manager · password management software · how to share passwords with teammates · compare password managers