You've heard of password managers like LastPass and Dashlane, but you're not sure if you need them. Well, here's the thing: you need one. If you have more than one account and are security conscious enough to keep different passwords, you need a password manager.
Needs more information? Here are several reasons why you should use a password manager.
7 great reasons to install a password manager
Password managers are available for free, as part of your web browser or as premium subscriptions. They are vital to manage your accounts online, so:
You do not need to remember your passwords.
You will only need a master password.
Save time with automatic login.
The ability to check current passwords.
Encrypted storage for passwords, bank details and more.
Access passwords from any platform.
A secure password is created for each account.
You want to know more? We will expand these reasons and analyze them further.
You will not have to remember all your passwords
Consider for a moment how many passwords you are using. There is probably an email account, maybe cloud storage, almost certainly social media. You may have an account for Spotify or iTunes, probably eBay, Amazon, Netflix, or apps for restaurants and supermarkets.
That said, it's more than you think, right?
While one or two passwords are easy to remember, five or six become a little more difficult. Of course, there is the temptation to use the same password for all accounts.
However, you should never do this. All a scammer needs to do is open an account and will have access to all. The results of the haveibeenpwned.com website show how often data from website accounts and online stores is hacked.
With a password manager, you don't need to remember all passwords for all accounts. The tool will do it for you.
You just need to remember a password
However, there is a password that you will need to know. Password managers use a master password that gives access to the encrypted content of their secure vault.
Therefore, if you remember the master password, your password manager will work, filling in passwords and account details when necessary. Sometimes you don't even need the password. For example, the LastPass mobile application can use the fingerprint reader of a phone or tablet for authentication.
Automatic login saves time
Another advantage of a password manager is how you can speed up logging into websites and mobile applications.
This is because the password manager will register your username along with the corresponding site password. When the login page is visited, it is detected and credentials are automatically copied from the password manager.
Some websites block autocompletion, but in most cases this works well.
Do you need to verify a password? You can do it!
With a password manager installed on your system and integrated with your browser, your passwords are stored securely. Often, you won't even know what the password is, since the software will take over the task of creating it.
But what if you need to know a password? Well, you can look it up in the password manager. You may be trying to access an account from another device, for example, or set up a mobile application. Simply open the password manager, find the account list and click on the eye icon to see the password.
Password managers have encrypted storage
As already indicated, password managers store information securely. There is no way anyone can access your data without your master password. This encrypts storage, which makes it impossible to decode and steal it.
Nor are it only passwords that are stored in a password manager. Credit card details can also be stored, while most tools also provide a basic notebook for storing important information. They can be documents or access codes to safe deposit boxes, locks, storage facility codes, whatever.
However, it all depends on your master password, so don't forget it.
Access your passwords from any platform
This problem can often be solved simply by installing the mobile version of your password manager. Most solutions are available on several platforms. For example, if you use LastPass, it is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. You'll also find plugins for Firefox, Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera and Safari browsers.
Your password manager can synchronize accounts with any device on which you install it. Simply log in to synchronize passwords and log in to any account or online application on any device.
This works perfectly. For example, a Windows user can synchronize their passwords with an Android phone. It really is that easy.
Strong and secure passwords for all accounts
The complexity of the passwords that your password manager creates can be customized. However, by default they are set to be difficult to hack, taking advantage of upper and lower case characters, numbers and punctuation.
The result is a different password, generated randomly, for each account that you have set up in your password manager. Do you remember the problem you had when remembering the passwords of a few sites? The password manager not only remembers your account credentials, but can also create a strong password to improve your security.
No more duplication of passwords. No more passwords that are basically the same but with a different number at the end. With a password management application, you can increase your security online, with the security that your passwords are secure.