How to Check Keychains for Corruption

Easily check a Keychain for corruption.

Mac OS X's Keychain is a central place where a user's passwords and website login information are saved. This enables multiple applications to access the saved information, without requiring the user to consciously remember the individual usernames and passwords. When paired with Apple's MobileMe service, a user's Keychain can even be synced across multiple computers. A Keychain may occasionally become corrupted, causing applications that rely on it to crash. However, it is easy to check for corruption.

Instructions

1. Navigate to "Applications" > "Utilities" and open the "Keychain Access" application.

2. Click the "Keychain Access" menu and select "Keychain First Aid."

3. Enter your Mac OS X password in the field labeled "Password" and make sure that the "Verify" radio button is checked.

4. Click "Start" to begin the verification process. If any corruption is found, select the "Repair" radio button and click "Start."

References

• Apple: Mac OS X 10.4 Help - Solving Problems With Keychains