Initial setup

The first time you insert a YubiKey, the Keyboard Setup Assistant may open. If it does, simply close it by clicking the red circle. For more information on why this happens, refer to The YubiKey as a keyboard.

Use your YubiKey to secure your online accounts

For registering and using your YubiKey with your online accounts, refer to the Set up your YubiKey page. In many cases, it is not necessary to configure your YubiKey before using it with online services, so it is recommended that you make a configuration change to your key only if instructed to do so by setup instructions for a particular service.

Secure your local Mac account with a YubiKey

For using your YubiKey to securely log in to your Mac, follow the instructions in the guide Using Your YubiKey as a Smart Card in macOS.

Configure your YubiKey

If you plan on using your YubiKey to store authenticator app credentials, or if need to make changes to your YubiKey, such as personalizing the PIV (smart card) application on your YubiKey (e.g. setting a PIN, pin-unblocking code, and/or management key), setting a PIN on the FIDO application, or resetting the FIDO/PIV/OATH applications on the YubiKey, download and install Yubico Authenticator, available on both the App Store or direct download from the Yubico website.