Overview
- Web.de and GMX added passkey login, which Friday, July 24, 2026, rolled out to their combined user base and is now available in account settings.
- To enable a passkey users go to Login & Security, choose Add Passkey, confirm their password once, scan a QR code if signing in on a PC, and verify with biometrics or a device PIN.
- Passkeys use a FIDO/WebAuthn-style cryptographic key pair with the private key kept on the user’s device or in a compatible password manager, which prevents attackers from reusing stolen passwords or intercepted MFA codes.
- The classic password remains as a parallel backup so users can still log in if a passkey fails or their device is unavailable, and existing saved passwords are not overwritten.
- Passkeys can be stored in OS-level stores (Android, iOS/macOS, Windows) or supported managers like Bitwarden and KeePassXC, a step that follows growing industry adoption and could reduce successful phishing and credential-theft attacks for everyday email users.