Can we talk about a first-world, 21st-century problem? Passwords. Every month it seems like people are getting hacked with different accounts and they need to change their passwords. But with the crazy requirements you need now, how do you remember all those passwords? With the help of a password manager, I finally managed my passwords and now I don’t have to think about it.
What is a password manager and why do I need one?
Any time you have to reset your password, doesn’t it seem like there are more rules than the last time? A special character, fifteen characters long, a capitalized character, three numbers, the list goes on and on.
Even if you have a variation of the same password, do you really remember each version?
No. Don’t try to tell me that you do, either!
A good password manager is a place where you can store all your passwords – but a great password manager will do more than that – it’ll suggest passwords for you, too, when you need new ones. A good password manager will take the stress out of you asking yourself “what is that password?”
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Are your passwords secure? If not, you may need a password manager. Click To TweetWhat are some good ones out there?
The two biggest ones that I hear about all the time are LastPass and 1Password. I use 1Password and I’ve used it since I graduated college. While they’ve switched to a monthly subscription, I bought the app when it was a one-time purchase. It was totally worth the price because I’m still using it two and a half years later.
Specifically, with 1Password, you have a “master password” that opens your vault. So I only have to remember one password to get access to all of them. I have a lot of passwords saved – and multiple accounts for many websites like Pinterest or Twitter.
Once you put your master password in, you’ll see all your passwords, broken down by date added. You’ve got a navigation bar where you can see things like different categories – passwords, email accounts, credit cards (not totally sold on that one yet).
You can also sort by weak passwords, passwords that are old, etc. With this vault, you can add just about anything in there and keep it secure.
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Security and Having Everything Synced
One of the nice things about 1Password is that you can sync it however you want. If you want to sync your files over Dropbox, you can – and add the app to your phone. Or if you have all Apple devices, you can use iCloud to sync them all.
Or you can set it up to only sync your devices and passwords when you’re on a secure wifi connection, like at home.
I also love that I can use it on my phone. No having to guess my passwords, I can just drop it in, no problem.
And now, specifically with iOS 12, 1Password (and other third-party password managers) have native integration, so when I tap on a spot to login to a website, I can click the “Password” button and immediately gain access to my vault.
As the world becomes more and more tech based, you need a strong place to store your passwords. Passwords that are long and complex – and trust me, that is not your brain. Whether you use 1Password, Last Pass, or something else, getting a password manager is a great way to stop fretting about all your password and the security of your different accounts.
