Recently a reader asked me why she wasn’t supposed to write down her passwords—which is a very good question. Ignoring all the geeky password manager talk, why can’t a home user write down passwords? Let’s examine this topic more closely. If you’ve never heard anybody say this, you probably haven’t talked to enough network security types—it’s generally looked down on to write your passwords on a physical piece of paper or a sticky note. We’ve already established that you aren’t “supposed” to write down your passwords, but why not? Are people really going to rifle through your stuff to find your password, and then use it maliciously? What if somebody breaks into your house, are they going to sit down at your PC and use your password? The answer to all of this can be summed up easily: To put these in a little more context, let’s look at each one separately and discuss why you should or shouldn’t write down your password. When you’re a corporate sloth and stuck at a desk for an arbitrary number of hours each day bored out of your mind, most of the passwords that you will use are probably for work-related applications like your corporate email, databases, and accounting systems. Here’s why you probably should not write down your password at work, and should instead opt for passwords that you can remember, or use a password manager: You should also figure out what your organization’s policies are concerning passwords, and follow those. When you are a home user, your most important passwords are your email, bank, and probably your Facebook password. If you are using a password on Windows, it’s probably not terribly secure, but you should make absolutely certain that your email and bank passwords are secure—and not the same. Here’s why it doesn’t really matter if you write down your password at home (usually, at least) There are exceptions to these rules of course—if you’re sharing an apartment with other people that you don’t totally trust, you should probably move. Also, you might not want to write down your passwords, and opt for a tough password or a password manager application. Maybe sleep with one eye open. If you’re a home user with kids around, you might not want to write down the Windows password if there’s adult material on your PC. Or the internet—I hear there’s some adult content there too. We simply can’t state this enough—your email and banking passwords are extremely important, and you should use different strong passwords for each one. Here’s a couple of quick rules to help you stay safe: If writing down these passwords and secret questions helps you be able to use strong passwords and prevent identity theft, it’s worth it, right? If somebody has physical access to your PC for a couple of minutes, it doesn’t matter what Windows, OS X, or Linux password you use. It’s as simple as that. Want proof? Here’s all the ways that your computer password can be cracked or reset, and keep in mind that these are only the ways that we’ve covered here on How-To Geek. And we’re the good guys! Wow, that sure makes me feel secure! So how do you prevent this, you ask? You can use complete drive encryption if you choose to do so: Since your vacation photos of you eating too much probably aren’t worth encrypting, your best bet is actually… Using a good password manager is the best way to protect your passwords from everybody and easily use secure passwords for every site. All of your passwords will be secured behind nearly unbreakable encryption, and easily accessible for everyday use. My personal favorite password manager is LastPass, which integrates directly into your browser, and stores the encrypted passwords on their servers, syncing them to every device you can install the extension on. You can even use it to store other data, like notes or credit card numbers. Note: While the passwords may be stored on their servers, the great thing is that the master encryption key is not—all the passwords are decrypted in your browser, so they cannot see any of your password information. You can also use KeePass, which is an excellent password manager with loads of plugins and other features. I don’t use it because it’s separate from the browser, which is where all my passwords need to be used, but it’s still a worthy application.What's Wrong With Writing Down Your Password?
So Why Can’t You Write Down Your Password?
If You’re a Work User
If You’re a Home User
Choosing Strong, Unique Passwords Is All-Important Online
Your Windows Password Is Easily Crackable
Password Managers Are Your Best Bet
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