The latest versions of the Mail app for iPhone, Mac, and iPad support the fantastic security code autofill feature. It’s similar to the SMS security code autofill feature available in Messages for Mac, iPhone, and iPad, except of course that it uses the Mail app for two-factor authentication and security codes that are sent to you via email instead of text message.
The great thing about this trick, aside from the incredible convenience it offers, is that auto-filling security codes and verification codes work pretty much the same on all major Apple device platforms, including the iPhone, Mac, and iPad.
How to utilize autofill for security codes from email on iPhone, Mac, iPad
If you’re using a service that sends you a security code or one-time access code via email, autofill is very easy to load.
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- Open Mail on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad if you haven’t already
- In Safari, continue by signing in to the site that requires a security code
- When Safari detects the security code from Mail, you’ll be presented with an option to auto-fill the security code, which you simply click and auto-fill. It will look something like this:
4. Continue to authenticate with the auto-filled security code
The process is basically the same on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
You’ll need to use a modern version of the system software, which means macOS Sonoma 14 or later on a Mac, iOS 17 or later on an iPhone, or iPadOS 17 or later on an iPad. Earlier versions do not include the auto-fill feature for email security codes, although they do include the auto-fill feature for SMS/text messages.
It is important to remember that you must have an email account set up in the Mail app on your device to receive security codes, otherwise, this feature will not work. You can easily add an email account to Mail on Mac and you can easily do the same on iPhone or iPad, whether it’s Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, or another email account.
Also, and while not technically necessary, it’s what has consistently made this feature work in my experience: have the Mail app actively running on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad for this feature to work reliably. Again, while this isn’t a technical requirement, it’s just what has consistently worked for me. When I don’t have Mail running, the autofill feature is unreliable or very slow, and many security codes are timed out. Of course, your experience may vary, so you can try either on your device.
Finally, if you find that this feature isn’t working as expected, or the Messages version of autofill security codes isn’t working as expected, you can always use this trick to copy the code quickly and insert it yourself in the appropriate field. Not so automated, but also simple.
Enjoy this handy feature, and once you learn how it works on one Apple device, you’ll know how to use it on others. Nice, right?
