Do One Thing: Manage Your Passwords (time: a few hours)

Kate Ashford  |  03:01 PM, Monday, June 6, 2011

Does it ever seem to you like you need a password to access everything? Your online bank account, your Amazon.com order, your work computer—even your online newspaper asks you for a user name and password. And once you’ve memorized them all, some sites have you change them periodically. Who can keep track? Here’s how to master the password game.

This is for you: If you have multiple passwords. (And who doesn’t?)

Hands-on time: An hour or two to enter all your user names and passwords into whatever solution you choose. Or you could just opt to enter them as you access sites in your daily life, in which case it’ll only take a few minutes to set yourself up. Trust us. It’s worth it. Total time: Same.

Cost: $0, unless you choose to go with software you have to actually buy.

What you’ll need:

• An Internet-connected computer or a smartphone with download capability
• The user names and passwords you’d like to store

What to do:
Try one of the following password managers. All are valid, but one may work better for you than another.

• KeePass: A free app that works on Windows and Mac machines and stores every single password you need. You just have to remember one password to access your stuff.
• Clipperz: A free online app (so you can access it from anywhere) that will store your passwords, along with any other info you’d like to track, such as pin codes and credit card numbers. Again, you just have to remember one password to access it. (And yes, it’s okay to store your data here—everything is encrypted.)
• LastPass: A password manager app for any operating system and any phone, and some people love it. $0 for the basic version, $1 a month for the premium version.
• DataVault: A password manager for your iPhone, if you’ve got one. $10.
• SplashID: A password manager for your iPhone, Droid, Blackberry, or Windows Mobile device (and a bunch of others, it seems). Also works on Windows and Mac. $20 for your computer, $10 for your smartphone.
• KeyWallet: Free, but Windows-only, this little app runs in your system tray. Just click on it when you need a password.
• Keychain: The free password management tool that comes on your Mac, if you have one. Try it.
• Google Docs: The extremely low-tech way to do this. Just open a new document in Google Docs and label it “Passwords” (or whatever), and enter the user names and passwords you need to remember. You can access it from any computer—you just need your Google user name and password.

There are numerous other options aside from these. Have one you like? Share it in the comments.