If you spend any amount of time online, chances are that you have passwords to remember. Logging into your bank account requires a password, posting into a forum or facebook requires an account which in turn requires a password, and so on.

At any given time your mind has to keep track of between five and ten different passwords on average. This can be a source of frustration. You probably know that you should use different passwords every time, and that they should be hard to guess, but unless you’re using a password manager already, that is hard to do.

In this situation you may end up using the same or similar password every time, regardless of the importance of the information you are trying to protect. This is a non issue for many websites, but I guess you would be frustrated knowing that your bank account is open to everyone, yet this could happen. Someone could guess your password in a matter of minutes and then use it for every site where you have an account. It doesn’t happen every day but it’s not so hard to do. You have been warned.

What a password manager is

A password manager is a program that keeps track of passwords for you. For every account that you have, it can store login and password information so you don’t have to remember them. It can also generate, save and fill random passwords for new accounts automatically, thus simplifying the whole process.

The biggest advantage of using a password manager is that it does all the work for you. This process is also very secure as all passwords are random and can contain special symbols, digits and numbers.

The only negative side of using a password manager is that you have to protect its access. Indeed anyone who has access to your computer could steal all your passwords by gaining access to the password manager. This is rarely a issue as your password manager is protected by a password itself. Just keep your eyes opened if you’re working on a public computer.

Password manager programs for windows

Below are some of the password manager programs that works on windows:

  • KeePass. This program is both free and open source, and works on many platforms including windows, mac, linux and iphone.
  • HandyPassword. This software works with internet explorer and firefox, and offers a wide range of features, however it is not free like keypass.
  • RoboForm. Roboform is another full featured password manager for windows. There’s a free version available, but it’s limited and you’d probably want to use the full version anyway.

I don’t use windows so feel free to suggest other password manager systems in the comments.

Password manager programs for mac os x

If you are using mac os x, there are some programs that you can choose from. Here are my favorites:

  • KeePass. This program is both free and open source, and works on many platforms including windows, mac, linux and iphone.
  • 1 Password. This is the program that I personally use, and it’s probably the most used by mac users. It’s full featured and it also works on chrome, but it costs money.

Linux

If you’re using linux, KeePass is probably the best choice, but feel free to leave a comment if you know of any other password manager programs for linux.

Conclusion

Using a password manager is one of those things that once you start using, you’ll never want to go back. I highly recommend that you take some time and try some of these programs as soon as possible, as they can make a big difference in the long term.

As usual, if you have any feedback or recommendation, feel free to leave a comment.