Problem Description

Users running macOS Sequoia may experience issues when attempting to open the Keychain Access application. Common symptoms include:

• Keychain Access application fails to launch after entering user password
• Application appears to start but immediately closes or becomes unresponsive
• Password prompt appears but authentication doesn't complete the app launch
• Unable to access certificates and keychain items through the GUI

Root Cause

This issue is related to keychain authentication changes in macOS Sequoia that can cause the Keychain Access application to fail during the unlock process, even when the correct user password is provided.

Primary Solution: Terminal Keychain Unlock

1. Unlock Keychain via Terminal
   • Open Terminal and run the following command to unlock your keychain:

     • security unlock-keychain

   • When prompted, enter the password for your user account [USERNAME].
2. Launch Keychain Access
   • After successfully unlocking the keychain via Terminal, you can access the Keychain Access application at:

     • /System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/Keychain Access.app

   • You can launch it by either:
     • Navigating to the path in Finder and double-clicking the application
     • Using Spotlight search to find "Keychain Access"
   • Running the following Terminal command:    

     • open "/System/Library/CoreServices/Applications/Keychain Access.app"

       
       

Alternative Solution: Terminal-Based Certificate Management

If the Keychain Access application continues to have issues, you can manage certificates directly through Terminal commands.

1. Importing Certificates
   • For certificates that require a password:

     • security import <path_to_certificate> -k ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain -P "<certificate_password>"

   • For certificates that don't require a password:

     • security import <path_to_certificate> -k ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain

2. Viewing Certificates
   • To view all certificates in your login keychain:

     • security import <path_to_certificate> -k ~/Library/Keychains/login.keychain

When to Contact Support

Contact MacinCloud support if:

• Terminal commands consistently fail with permission errors
• Keychain corruption prevents normal operation
• Development certificates cannot be properly imported or accessed

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