What is a password manager and should I use one?

Feeling overwhelmed by passwords? We can set this up for you during a visit and show you how to use it without any jargon. Give us a call.

What it actually does

Imagine a locked notebook that only opens with one secret word. Inside that notebook is a list of every website you use and the password for each one. That is exactly what a password manager is, except the notebook is on your phone and computer.

When you visit a website you have used before, the password manager offers to fill in your login automatically. When you sign up somewhere new, it offers to make up a long random password for you and save it. You never have to remember the new password because the manager handles it.

Why it actually matters

The single biggest reason scammers get into people's accounts is not because they are clever. It is because people reuse the same password in lots of places. When one of those websites gets hacked (and it happens to big companies all the time), the scammers try the same email and password on dozens of other sites. If you reuse passwords, they get in.

A password manager makes it possible to have a different strong password on every single site without having to remember any of them. That one change protects you more than almost anything else you can do. It pairs very well with two-factor authentication, which we cover in a separate guide.

The three ways people handle passwords

Here are the three common approaches, side by side. Only one of them is actually safe.

• Do this: use a password manager

  You remember one master password. The manager stores a unique, strong password for every site. If one site gets hacked, only that one account is at risk. Everything else stays safe. This is the only approach we recommend.

• Not this: reusing the same password

  Using the same password for email, banking, and shopping means one breach unlocks everything. This is by far the most common cause of scam victims getting into serious trouble. If you do nothing else, stop reusing passwords.

• Better than reuse: a written list

  A paper notebook kept at home, with unique passwords for each site, is much safer than reusing. It is not as convenient as a password manager, but it beats the alternative. The risk is losing the notebook, or it getting damaged.

• Not this: saved in an email draft

  Typing passwords into an email draft or a note on your phone feels safe because it is in "your" account. It is not. If anyone ever gets into your email, they get every password you have ever saved there. Avoid this.

Which one should you use?

If you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, use the one that is already built in. It is called iCloud Keychain and Apple Passwords. You do not need to install anything and it is free. If you use an Android phone or Chrome on a Windows laptop, Google has one built in. Both are plenty for home users.

If you want something that works across everything and has more features, 1Password and Bitwarden are well-regarded. They cost a small monthly fee. We are happy to help you pick one during an online safety tuneup visit.

The one thing to be careful about

The master password is the one password you really do need to remember (or write down very carefully). Most password managers cannot reset it for you if you forget, because that is part of what makes them safe. We always make sure the master password is written down in a safe place in the home during setup.