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A password manager is an app that remembers your passwords for you and keeps them secure, typically with AES-256 encryption, the same standard used by banks and governments. That means your information is stored safely, so even if someone tried to access it, they wouldn't be able to read it.
You can also use your password manager across all your devices, like your phone, tablet, and computer. Once you set it up, it automatically fills in your logins wherever you go, saving time, reducing stress, and helping you stay protected online.
In this article, we'll explain what a password manager is, how it works, whether it's safe to use, and whether you actually need one.
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Trusted password manager that also supports passkeys, a more secure way to log in that doesn't rely on a password
Premium plan adds data breach alerts, email masking, and emergency account access for a trusted contact
Included in Nord's Plus bundle alongside NordVPN, anti-malware, and an ad blocker
A password manager is an app that safely stores all your login details in one secure place. Many password managers store more than just usernames and passwords. They can also keep other sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, bank details, addresses, passport info, and private notes. Everything is secured with AES-256 encryption or better, meaning your data is unreadable to anyone, including the password manager company itself.
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Most password managers include a random password generator to create strong, complex passwords for you. Password vaults also automatically fill in the credential fields when you sign in to websites or apps. This helps prevent weak or reused passwords and makes managing your online accounts quick and stress-free, especially since they can work across all your devices.
Security experts recommend using a password manager to reduce the risk of identity theft through hacking and phishing.
A password manager works by encrypting your passwords and storing them in a secure vault that only you can unlock with a master password.
According to an All About Cookies digital will study, 39% of people store passwords only in their memory, with nothing written or saved anywhere. A password manager is a major upgrade that ensures you don't forget your passwords while keeping them secure.
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When you have a password manager installed and enter a username and password on a login page, you'll typically see a prompt to save them. When you save a password, it's encrypted using AES-256 before being stored — in other words, the data is scrambled and unreadable without the key.
In the case of password managers, the key is the master password. The master password decrypts your vault locally on your device, never on the company's servers, and the company never sees or stores your master password. This is called a zero-knowledge architecture, which means the company can't access your data.
When you visit a site with a login field, the password manager decrypts the login info stored on your device and fills it in automatically. Your encrypted vault syncs to the cloud so it's accessible across all your devices.
Understanding how your password manager protects data makes it easier to evaluate whether the trade-off — trusting one app with all your passwords — is right for you.
According to an All About Cookies survey on password behavior, 22% of people frequently forget passwords, and another 51% sometimes do.
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Google Password Manager can be a helpful tool for remembering all those random passwords. But if your Google account gets hacked, cybercriminals can access all your stored passwords. Here's how to turn off Google Password Manager and why you should use a third-party password manager instead.
You don't necessarily need a password manager; however, most people can benefit from using one. If you have more than a handful of online accounts, reuse passwords, or tend to use weak passwords so that they're easier to remember, you're a great candidate for a password manager. Using one can help you incorporate stronger passwords while simultaneously making them easier to remember.
This is even more true if your information has been involved in a data breach, you use public Wi-Fi, or you struggle with too many login credentials. Both data breaches and public Wi-Fi pose security risks that can expose your login credentials to bad actors. A password manager reduces that risk by ensuring every account has a unique, unguessable password. Dealing with too many logins often drives people to use weaker passwords that are easier to remember, increasing the odds of their accounts being compromised.
According to an All About Cookies survey, 82% of people use at least one unsafe piece of personal information in their passwords, such as a pet's name, birthday, or reused credentials. The same survey found that 73% of users report password fatigue, and only 34% currently use a dedicated password manager. That means the vast majority of people are one data breach away from a serious security problem, and a password manager is the most practical fix.
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That said, password managers aren't for everyone. If you have very few accounts and already have a secure, reliable system in place to remember them, the overhead of setting up a password manager may not be worth it. However, for most people, the cost of a breach outweighs the setup effort. Security experts agree and broadly recommend using a password manager.
If you've decided a password manager is right for you, here's what to look for.
If you're new to password managers, you're probably unfamiliar with the bells and whistles. All third-party password managers offer the same core features, like the ability to create, store, and manage your passwords securely. Those are a given.
But depending on the service, you may have access to more advanced security features, like dark web scanning and data breach alerts. Premium password management solutions may include proprietary security features such as Keeper BreachWatch, 1Password Watchtower, or Bitwarden Send. Here's a rundown of features to look for in a third-party password manager.
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Password manager that lets you share credentials via a link, no 1Password account required to access
Built-in Watchtower flags breached, weak, and reused passwords and shows which sites support 2FA you haven't set up yet
Travel Mode feature lets you hide specific vaults when crossing borders, so sensitive data isn't on your device if it gets searched
Password managers come in a few different forms, including:
An application you could run from your computer desktop, whether you run Windows or Mac, that might only be available on one device. Because desktop apps can store passwords locally without syncing to the cloud, there's no remote attack surface, though this limits accessibility if you use multiple devices.
Typically available on iOS (Apple iPhone) and Android devices to provide easy access to your information anywhere. Third-party password management apps are considered more secure than built-in apps because, with the latter, your passwords are only as secure as your phone. On the other hand, dedicated password managers offer enhanced encryption protocols and authentication methods.
Password managers are typically available as extensions for web browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge. A browser extension can be helpful if you frequently use web browsers and need quick access to different passwords. An advantage of using a password manager extension is that you don't have to enter passwords online manually.
Browser-based managers like Google Password Manager and Apple Passwords are convenient, but they have real limitations. They only work within their browser ecosystem, offer limited encryption and security features, and tie all your passwords to a single browser account. If that account is compromised, every saved password is at risk. A dedicated password manager works across all browsers and devices, uses stronger encryption protocols, and adds features like breach monitoring, secure sharing, and zero-knowledge architecture that browser managers do not offer.
Most premium password managers offer cloud-based services, which means they store passwords and other sensitive account data securely in the cloud. This service also provides easy access to your information from different devices. You could access your password manager from a phone, a web browser, or both.
Open-source software allows free reviews, audits, and contributions to a password manager's source code, helping improve its security. Open-source password managers could be designed for desktop or mobile devices. They could also be built for browsers and could make use of distributed networks. Bitwarden and Proton Pass are popular open-source password managers.
Yes, password managers are generally safe to use, and security experts broadly recommend them. No tool is perfectly immune to attack, but the encryption and zero-knowledge architecture used by reputable password managers make them significantly more secure than reusing passwords or relying on a browser's built-in manager.
The most common concerns about password managers center on data breaches, particularly in light of LastPass's well-documented breach history. However, although hackers did access encrypted password vaults, those vaults are unreadable without the master password. This actually makes using a password manager less risky than the alternative: according to an All About Cookies survey, 59% of people have had a password appear in a data breach, and 41% of those people continued using the same exposed password anyway.
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Ultimately, your master password is the critical point of failure, not the password manager itself — which means that using a strong, unique master password is the most important thing you can do.
Here are some additional tips to help ensure your passwords stay secure:
If you're looking for a specific recommendation, our team has hands-on tested dozens of password managers. See our guide to the best password managers for side-by-side comparisons, pricing, and testing methodology.
The best password managers offer an effective way to safely manage multiple passwords, reducing the risk of forgetting or misplacing them. Plus, the ability to create, store, and manage complex passwords helps thwart hackers who are trying to steal your identity or access your online financial accounts. Third-party password managers offer significantly stronger security than free built-in browser options, with AES-256 encryption, zero-knowledge architecture, and advanced features like breach alerts and dark web monitoring that browser managers don't provide.
For most people, the question isn't whether to use a password manager; it's which one. The setup takes minutes, and the protection it provides against credential theft, data breaches, and password fatigue is difficult to replicate any other way.
Most people benefit from using a password manager, especially if they have more than a handful of online accounts or reuse the same password across multiple sites. According to an All About Cookies passwords behavior survey, 82% of people use at least one unsafe piece of personal information in their passwords, and 73% report password fatigue from managing too many credentials. If your information has been in a data breach, you use public Wi-Fi, or you find yourself reusing passwords for convenience, a password manager is a practical, widely recommended solution.
Third-party password managers use encryption to keep your information secure. Both NordPass and Keeper are known for their advanced security due to their zero-knowledge architecture. Of the two, NordPass is arguably the most secure because it uses xChaCha20 encryption (instead of the standard AES-256 algorithm) and is from Nord Security, a top name in cybersecurity. And while most password managers rely on two-factor authentication, NordPass and Keeper offer biometric authentication, ensuring your account is secure.
Password managers, including LastPass and OneLogin, have experienced confirmed security incidents. LastPass's 2022 breaches were the most serious, with hackers accessing encrypted vaults and some unencrypted customer data. Other managers have disclosed security vulnerabilities over the years, but vulnerabilities that are patched quickly are fundamentally different from a breach that exposes customer data.
One of the easiest ways to remember all your passwords is to use a password manager. These helpful programs typically offer secure password storage and tools to generate new random passwords when needed. Other ways to remember your passwords include mnemonic strategies like visualizing your password, typing the password repeatedly to build muscle memory, and selecting a password that tells a story only you'd recognize.
It’s typically not the best idea to save passwords on your computer if you want to protect your information. Different web browsers often suggest automatically keeping passwords for convenience, but this could make it easy for anyone with access to your computer to access your accounts. Password managers that don’t automatically enter passwords would likely be a safer option.
Password manager included in Aura's security bundle alongside antivirus, a VPN, and an ad blocker
Flags weak and reused passwords directly in the browser extension, so you can spot problems without digging into a dashboard
Comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee, one of the longest return windows provided by a password manager
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