How to Use a Password Manager to Remember All Your Passwords

A password manager remembers every password for you so you only need to remember one — here's how to start with a free option.

In this guide (5 steps):

1.Create a free Bitwarden account
2.Download the Bitwarden app on your phone
3.Let Bitwarden save passwords as you log in
4.Use Bitwarden to auto-fill passwords
5.Try the built-in password manager on your device

Create a free Bitwarden account

~33s

Bitwarden is a free, trusted password manager recommended by security experts. On your computer or phone, open a browser and go to bitwarden.com. Click "Get Started Free" and create an account with your email address. Then choose a master password — this is the one password you'll need to remember. Make it something you won't forget but that others wouldn't guess, like a phrase from a song with a few numbers added.

Warning

Write your master password down and keep it somewhere safe at home — a physical notebook works well. Bitwarden cannot recover your master password for you if you forget it.

Download the Bitwarden app on your phone

~20s

Search for "Bitwarden" in the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android). Install the free app and sign in with the email and master password you just created. The app will ask for permission to fill in passwords automatically — tap "Allow" so it can save and fill passwords in other apps and your browser.

Let Bitwarden save passwords as you log in

~28s

The next time you log in to any app or website, Bitwarden will notice you're logging in and offer to save the password. Tap "Save" when it asks. After a few days of doing this, Bitwarden will have your most important passwords stored. You can also manually add passwords by tapping the "+" button in the Bitwarden app.

Quick Tip

You don't need to add every password at once. Just let Bitwarden save passwords naturally as you log in over the next few weeks.

Use Bitwarden to auto-fill passwords

~20s

When you open a login screen in an app or browser, look for the Bitwarden icon to appear near the username or password field. Tap it and Bitwarden will fill in your saved username and password automatically — no typing needed. On iPhone, Bitwarden shows up through the built-in password autofill feature: look for a "Passwords" suggestion above the keyboard.

Try the built-in password manager on your device

~33s

If Bitwarden feels like too many steps, both iPhone and Android have built-in password managers that are simpler. On iPhone, go to SettingsPasswords to see and use saved passwords. On Android, go to SettingsPasswords & accounts. These built-in options work only on your device and don't sync across devices, but they're a great starting point if you're new to password managers.

Quick Tip

Apple's built-in password manager is called "Keychain." If Safari or other Apple apps ask to save a password and you tap "Save," the password goes into Keychain and is automatically filled in next time.

You Did It!

You've completed: How to Use a Password Manager to Remember All Your Passwords

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A password manager is an app that stores all your passwords safely in one place. Instead of trying to remember dozens of passwords or writing them in a notebook, you only need to remember one master password — and the password manager handles the rest. Security experts recommend using one because it lets you have strong, unique passwords for every account without the impossible task of memorizing them all.

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