How to Create and Revoke an iCloud App-Specific Password

Create an iCloud app-specific password through your Apple Account's Sign-In and Security settings when a compatible third-party app asks for one. Use it instead of your main Apple Account password. You can revoke it later without sharing your primary password with that app.

Two-factor authentication is required.

Some apps offer Apple's own authorization flow. Follow that sign-in method when it is available; create an app-specific password when the app asks for one.

What this password is for

An app-specific password lets a third-party app access supported iCloud data, such as calendars. Use it for that connection, not for unlocking your iPhone or signing in to all Apple services.

Give each connection a clear label when creating its password. A label such as “Calendar connection for laptop” is easier to recognize later than an unexplained date or the word “test.”

Keep the credential private. Do not paste it into a calendar event, support screenshot, email thread or public issue. If a connection fails, support should not need you to reveal the password itself.

Create it in your Apple Account

Go to account.apple.com and sign in to the intended Apple Account.
Complete the required account verification.
Open Sign-In and Security, then App-Specific Passwords.
Choose the option to generate a password and follow the prompts.
Use the generated credential only in the intended app's password field.

Apple's app-specific-password guide is the current reference for these steps and prerequisites.

Confirm that you are using the Apple Account that owns or has access to the required calendar. A valid credential for the wrong account can connect successfully while showing an apparently empty schedule.

Use the app's supported method

If an app opens an Apple authorization page, follow that flow. If it asks for an app-specific password, enter the generated credential. Keep your main Apple Account password out of that field.

App support differs. Adding iCloud mail successfully does not prove the app has access to all calendars, and an app-specific password does not grant writing permission to a calendar you can only read.

After connecting, inspect the calendar list and open a familiar event. If the calendar you need is missing, check the Apple Account email before replacing the credential.

If you are unsure where the events are stored, start with Apple Calendar versus iCloud Calendar.

Avum's Apple connection

Avum's Apple Account connection asks for your Apple Account email and an app-specific password. Do not enter the primary Apple Account password into that form.

Once connected, select the actual calendar you need. Use Avum Calendar for a combined view, or create a Sync Rule when selected events or busy time should be copied elsewhere.

The app-specific password connects the account. A Sync Rule decides which events get copied and where, so connecting iCloud alone does not send every appointment to work.

For a concrete destination example, see iCloud and Outlook synchronization.

Revoke an unused or exposed password

Return to App-Specific Passwords in the Apple Account settings. Remove the credential associated with the app you no longer use. Apple also offers an option to revoke all app-specific passwords, which affects every connection using them.

Revocation stops the app from authenticating with that credential. Events already written to another calendar can remain. To remove those copies as well, follow the app's documented disconnect and cleanup process while it still has access.

For a lost or exposed credential, revoking access may be the immediate priority. Afterward, inspect the affected destinations and reconnect only if you still want the service.

If a connection stops after a password change

Changing or resetting your main Apple Account password automatically revokes all of your app-specific passwords. Generate a replacement for the affected app and use its reconnect process rather than repeatedly trying the old credential.

If the replacement credential does not fix it, check the iCloud source and device settings before changing more connections.

Keep a short record of which apps use each credential. When you stop using an app, remove its connection and revoke the matching password.

Ready to connect iCloud with the appropriate account access? Start your free 30-day trial with Avum today.