Apple ID Security Keys Feature Now Supports iCloud for Windows

If you have physical security keys set up for your Apple ID account, you can now sign in to iCloud on Windows, after updating the app to version 15 or later. Apple confirmed this change in a support document updated today.

Apple advanced security Security Keys screen Feature crop
Previously, signing in to iCloud for Windows was not an option whatsoever after turning on the Apple ID security keys feature.

Apple ID security keys support was introduced early last year with iOS 16.3, iPadOS 16.3, and macOS 13.2. When the optional setting is turned on, signing in to an Apple ID requires entering the account's password and then using a FIDO-certified security key to complete two-factor authentication, instead of a traditional six-digit verification code from another Apple device. These security keys typically look similar to a USB thumb drive.

Apple says the feature is "designed for people who want extra protection from targeted attacks, such as phishing or social engineering scams." You should be extra careful if you turn on the feature, as you could be locked out of your Apple ID account permanently if you lose all of your trusted Apple devices and security keys.

Popular Stories

Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. ...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Confirms Google Gemini Will Power Next-Generation Siri This Year

Monday January 12, 2026 7:38 am PST by
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year. "After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users," the statement...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Elon Musk Reacts to Apple and Google Teaming on Gemini-Powered Siri

Monday January 12, 2026 11:38 am PST by
Elon Musk today expressed concern about Apple and Google partnering on a more personalized version of Siri powered by Google's generative AI platform Gemini. "This seems like an unreasonable concentration of power for Google, given that [they] also have Android and Chrome," wrote Musk, in a post on X. Musk serves as CEO of xAI, the company behind Gemini competitor Grok. It is unlikely...
iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.3 So Far

Monday January 12, 2026 1:15 pm PST by
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 26.3, nearly a month after the first beta. So far, the update includes a couple of new features for iPhones. iOS 15.3 through iOS 18.3 were all released in late January over the years, so it is thereby likely that iOS 26.3 will be released towards the end of this month as well. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. Below,...
proposed unicode emoji 18%402x

Squinting Face, Pickle, and Lighthouse Among New Emoji Coming to iOS

Friday January 9, 2026 4:24 am PST by
The Unicode Consortium has published a draft list of emoji that could come to smartphones and other devices in the future. The list shared by Emojipedia outlines 19 emoji candidates under consideration for Emoji 18.0, which is expected to be finalized in September 2026. Among the proposed additions are a squinting face emoji, left- and right-pointing thumb gestures, a pickle, a lighthouse, a ...
Apple Intelligence iPhone 16

Google Gemini Partnership With Apple Will Go Beyond Siri Revamp

Monday January 12, 2026 8:48 am PST by
Apple and Google today announced that Google Gemini will help power not only a more personalized version of Siri, but a range of future Apple Intelligence features. "Apple and Google have entered into a multi-year collaboration under which the next generation of Apple Foundation Models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology," the companies said, in a statement. "These...
apple homekit ios 18 5

Apple Reminding Users of Pending Home App Upgrade Requirement

Friday January 9, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Back in late 2022 and early 2023, Apple rolled out a new architecture for its Apple Home platform to deliver improved performance and compatibility, although the rollout came with some hiccups that forced Apple to pull and later re-release the upgrade. Three years later, Apple is now on the verge of ending support for the old version of the Home architecture, which may result in access to...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
25 months ago
I noticed last night around 11 PM to Midnight PST Apple ID wasn't working, then it was. Via Safari web browser, not an app those all worked. I checked Apple system status it was all green. Possibly Apple was updating their Apple ID security?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
koil Avatar
25 months ago
What I really want is to be able to register my own Passkeys to unlock my Apple ID.

Apple makes it easy to use your iPhone as a Passkey for other sites, but they don't allow me to use Passkeys to secure my Apple ID itself.

Really irritating.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleTO Avatar
25 months ago
They've finally re-done the ancient UI as well. About time.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Justin Cymbal Avatar
25 months ago
I’m glad that Apple is expanding this feature to Windows users as well. These extra security features are definitely great for users

I logged into my Google account a few months ago and added a bunch of new ways to secure my Google account including Google Authenticator - something that I’ve been meaning to do for a while

There must’ve been 10 different options of securing your Google account that Google makes available so I hope that Apple does something similar because the more ways that a user has to get into their account, the less likely that they will get locked out of their own account. I’m trying to rely less on SMS authentication and more on these alternative methods to enable higher security

On my Google account I removed my main personal phone number and I now only use 2 phone numbers (that I don’t give out to people) for the SMS authentication - I think that’s a better alternative than using your main phone number that everyone knows
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Purplish0581 Avatar
25 months ago

I’m glad that Apple is expanding this feature to Windows users as well. These extra security features are definitely great for users

I logged into my Google account a few months ago and added a bunch of new ways to secure my Google account including Google Authenticator - something that I’ve been meaning to do for a while

There must’ve been 10 different options of securing your Google account that Google makes available so I hope that Apple does something similar because the more ways that a user has to get into their account, the less likely that they will get locked out of their own account. I’m trying to rely less on SMS authentication and more on these alternative methods to enable higher security

On my Google account I removed my main personal phone number and I now only use 2 phone numbers (that I don’t give out to people) for the SMS authentication - I think that’s a better alternative than using your main phone number that everyone knows
It’s nice that Google offers many different ways to authenticate and 2FA, but be mindful the more options you switch on, the more “attack surface area” you have on that account.

Best thing is to usually have only your most secure method switched on, such as PassKeys or hardware keys for 2FA. That way an attacker must possess a key to gain access.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)