ExpressKeys Arrives on Mac and Firefox, Adds Password Health
ExpressVPN's bundled password manager now has a native macOS app and a Firefox extension alongside Chrome, Edge and Brave, plus a redesigned extension with Password Health and a Recently Deleted folder. Existing vaults sync without re-import. What changed, what is still missing (Safari, Windows), and who should switch.
Table of contents
ExpressKeys, the password manager bundled with ExpressVPN's Advanced and Pro plans, has filled in the two gaps that mattered most. It now ships as a dedicated macOS app, and its browser extension supports Firefox alongside Chrome, Edge and Brave. The extension itself has been redesigned and gains Password Health and a Recently Deleted folder. Existing vaults carry over: sign in on the new platforms and your items are there, with no re-import.
Neither addition is glamorous, but together they change who can reasonably use ExpressKeys as their only password manager. Until now the answer was "phone users and people on Chromium browsers". It is now a good deal wider.
What is new
| Change | What it means |
|---|---|
| macOS app | A native desktop app, not just an extension inside a browser. Autofill and vault access work system-wide on a Mac for the first time. |
| Firefox extension | Joins Chrome, Edge and Brave. Firefox users were previously locked out of ExpressKeys on desktop entirely. |
| Refreshed extension interface | A redesign across all supported browsers. |
| Password Health | Flags weak, reused and otherwise risky passwords in your vault, the audit view every serious manager has. |
| Recently Deleted | A 30-day recovery folder, previously available in the mobile apps, now in the extension too. |
| No re-import | Your existing vault syncs to the new app and browser. Nothing to export, nothing to re-enter. |
Why the Mac app matters more than it sounds
A browser extension is a fine place to autofill website logins. It is a poor place for everything else a password manager holds: Wi-Fi passwords, software licences, the 2FA codes you need when you are not in a browser, and the file attachments ExpressKeys added in September. On a Mac, all of that previously lived behind a browser tab.
A native app also fixes the awkward case of a Mac user whose main browser was Safari. Safari is still not on the extension list, but the desktop app gives Safari users a way in: the vault is on the machine, even if autofill inside Safari is not. For anyone who switched to Chrome purely to use ExpressKeys, that pressure is gone.
Worth noting what is not in this announcement: a Windows desktop app. Windows users remain on the browser extension for now.
Firefox: late, but it closes a real hole
Firefox has a small but committed user base, and that base skews towards exactly the privacy-minded people who buy VPNs. For a password manager sold as part of a privacy bundle, having no Firefox support was an odd gap. It is closed now, and the extension is the same redesigned one Chromium users get, not a cut-down port.
Password Health is the feature to actually open
Of everything in this update, Password Health is the one that will change behaviour. It audits your vault for weak passwords, reused passwords and other risks, and gives you a list to work through. Most people who import a decade of saved browser logins find the list is long.
The useful way to read it: start with reused passwords on accounts that hold money or identity, which is where a breach at one site becomes a takeover at another. Our explainer on password managers, passkeys and VPNs covers why a reused password is the single most exploitable habit a manager fixes, and the July update added passkeys to ExpressKeys, so the fix for a weak password is often to replace it with no password at all.
How ExpressKeys has built out this year
For context, this is the fourth ExpressKeys release we have covered in 2026:
- July: passkeys, secure sharing with expiry and view limits, imports without a plain-text export, iOS card scanning, 30-day recovery on mobile, and a Cure53 audit with no high or critical findings.
- September: file attachments on any vault item, with 5 GB of storage on Advanced and 10 GB on Pro.
- October: the macOS app, Firefox, Password Health and the redesigned extension.
The pattern is a bundled manager steadily catching up with dedicated ones on the features that decide whether you can rely on it exclusively. Platform coverage was the biggest remaining gap, and this release addresses most of it.
Who should care
Existing ExpressVPN Advanced or Pro subscribers. You already pay for ExpressKeys. If you have been running a separate password manager because you work on a Mac or in Firefox, that reason is now gone, and consolidating saves a subscription. Install the Mac app, add the Firefox extension, sign in, and your vault is there.
Basic plan subscribers. ExpressKeys is not included on Basic. Advanced costs $1.50 a month more on the current Halloween pricing, and a password manager with a Mac app, four browsers, passkeys and 5 GB of attachments is a reasonable thing to get for that.
Non-subscribers. The pitch has not changed: ExpressKeys is strongest as part of the ExpressVPN bundle, and we would not recommend subscribing to a VPN to get a password manager. A dedicated cross-platform manager remains the better standalone buy, and our VPN vs antivirus vs password manager guide sets out which tool solves which problem.
The caveats
Two things have not changed. Bundling your password manager with your VPN means that leaving ExpressVPN means migrating your vault, so keep that in mind before you consolidate. And Safari and Windows are still outside the native coverage: Mac users get an app, but Safari autofill is not on the list, and Windows users stay on the extension.
FAQ
Do I need to re-import my passwords to use the Mac app or Firefox?
No. Sign in on the new platform and your existing vault syncs across.
Which browsers does the ExpressKeys extension support now?
Chrome, Edge, Brave and Firefox. Safari is not supported.
Is there a Windows app?
Not in this announcement. Windows users use the browser extension.
What does Password Health do?
It audits your vault for weak, reused and otherwise risky passwords and lists them so you can fix the worst first.
Which ExpressVPN plans include ExpressKeys?
Advanced and Pro. Advanced includes 5 GB of attachment storage and Pro 10 GB. It is not included on the Basic plan.
Bottom line
A Mac app and Firefox support are the two things ExpressKeys most needed to be taken seriously as a primary password manager, and both arrived at once, with a password audit and a redesigned extension alongside. For Advanced and Pro subscribers this is a free upgrade worth installing today. For everyone else, it makes the Advanced tier a slightly better deal than it was last week, which is the right way round for a bundled feature.
See ExpressVPN's current plans with ExpressKeys
Feature details are from ExpressVPN's October 2026 partner update and product pages and were accurate at publication. Platform availability can change — check the ExpressKeys download page for your device.
