I should have done it 25 years ago and only did it about 2,5 years ago: start using a password manager.
This step was the easiest step with the greatest benefit in my life, only rivaled by quitting drinking coffee with sugar. The advantages are plentiful, listed at the bottom of this post, but the most crucial is: if you start using a password manager today, you only need to remember ONE password for the rest of your life.
So, this post is to say: just do it too!
What is a password manager?
A password manager is a program that stores your passwords. Yes, you probably already have one, or likely more than one: If you ever said “yes” to the question “should <your browser or your phone> save this password for you?”, you are using a password manager already. So, you already know that a password manager is essentially software that stores your passwords and helps you fill them in where you need them.
So, if you already use one, why should you now “start using a password manager”?
When I say “start using a password manager”, I mean: start using a quality password manager. The one that comes with your phone or browser is shit. Typically, it throws all passwords on a poorly accessible pile that you can only use on one specific device (your phone) or browser (eg, stupid chrome that you should stop using anyway).
A proper password manager
A proper password manager, instead, helps you to actually manage your passwords. A good password manager has at least the following features:
- Works across devices (as an phone app) and browsers (as a plug-in)
- Facilitates multiple logins at one website
- Helps you to easily choose good passwords
- Allows you to view, edit, and delete passwords
- Protects your passwords with encryption
So, go go go!
Don’t hesitate, just do it, you will thank yourself forever. There are a couple of managers to choose from. I took Bitwarden. Bitwarden is easy to use, free, works on all phones, computer OS’s and browsers, and is open source. The latter is important, since it allows the privacy-caring nerd-community to check whether your passwords are really as save as the makers promise.
PS: a random list of benefits
- You will start with your existing passwords being stored by #Bitwarden, by slowly change to ever safer passwords, with at least every “renew password”- request.
- Did I already mention you only need to remember one password when you use a password manager?
- You simply login every session of your browser and everything will be filled out for you.
- On your phone, a good proper password manager app will work with your face recognition or any other security check.
- You save a lot of stress, you never again need to be afraid to have lost your login.
- You will never use the above mentioned fear to postpone your online tax declaration.
- The more passwords you create using Bitwarden, the safer your online life will be
- The possibility to store multiple passwords for the same online service in a manageable way makes it easy to maintain numerous identities. For example, having a test-account and a real account, or different soundcloud accounts for your various music projects.
- Requirements like at least one number and a special character that is not %, #, or * are handled effortless.
- When you are on another computer (say, on vacation when your phone got stolen), you can simply login to your password vault on Bitwarden’s website.
- Many managers, like Bitwarden, allow you to save passport info, credit cards, identities, ssh, whatever you like to store secretly.
- Bitwarden works together with (among other services) #fastmail and #protonmail so that you can automatically create a login with a “masked” or “alias” email address.
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