Password managers, explained

Most of us have dozens of accounts and a handful of passwords we reuse everywhere. A password manager fixes that without asking you to remember more.

What it is

A password manager is an app that remembers all your passwords for you, locked behind one strong master password (or your fingerprint or face). When you go to log in to a website, it fills in the details for you.

Why it’s safer

When one website gets hacked, criminals try the stolen email and password on banks, email and shopping sites. If you use the same password everywhere, one breach can unlock everything. A password manager makes it easy to have a different, strong password for every account, because you never have to remember them.

“But I keep them in a notebook”

A notebook at home is honestly better than reusing the same password everywhere. It doesn’t help when you’re away from home, though, it can’t fill in passwords for you, and it’s one more thing that can be lost. A password manager does everything the notebook does, and more.

Which one?

• Built-in options. Apple devices have the Passwords app, and Chrome and Android have Google Password Manager. Free and simple, and fine if you stick to one type of device.
• Dedicated apps such as 1Password or Bitwarden. They work across iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac, and can share selected passwords with a family member.

The one password you must remember

Your master password is the key to everything, so make it long and memorable. Four or five random words strung together works well. Write it down once and keep it somewhere safe at home, and consider sharing emergency access with someone you trust.

See our picks for the password manager we recommend.