Google password manager: Create and manage secure passwords with Chrome

Google Password manager, a service by Google that helps in creating strong passwords and storing them too, while syncing in the cloud, so that we can use them on all Google account-connected devices without the hassle of remembering them.

In our daily internet usage, we come across websites where we have to create an account such as Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Cloud storage, Websites or tools with web-based backends, or many other portals with sensitive data or even online banking; setting up a traditional password like birth date, lover’s name or 1234, etc. will not be going to help at all. To protect them, there should always be a combination of a strong username and password. However, it is not possible to remember all passwords especially if you want to create a complex one. Also, when it comes to inputting some complicated password string, then it would take a few minutes for an average internet user to come up with one, and even after that, there is no surety, that creating a password will be enough complicated not to get cracked.

Thus, to protect our identity, a secure password should be used and here Google Password manager comes in.

Google password manager, What is that?

As its name, we can envisage that it will be something to manage passwords, yes, indeed.

Google makes it very easy for users to create a high level of security by recommending secure and sophisticated passwords with a farrago of letters, numbers, and special characters which are not present in dictionaries and are unique too. That means it will not be used anywhere else by Google for other users. And to manage all these passwords, the Chrome browser has a Google password manager that can store all user passwords on request and can automatically fill in the login fields on all platforms, when needed.

Furthermore, the password saved on the Google password manager using the PC chrome browser can be accessed on Android smartphones or tablets Chrome browser too, syncing with the same Google account. Additionally, if you have some emergency and you are using some other browser or device then you can simply visit passwords.google.com to retrieve passwords and usernames using your Google Account and once you are done, don’t forget to log out.

Create passwords using the Chrome browser

Note: Google Chrome automatically suggests a secure password whenever you are on a page where you are about to create or register an account.

• Google Chrome automatically detects sign-up forms, so, enter details and username on the signup page you are registering an account.
• After that click on the password column.
• As you click on that, a Google smart lock suggestion for the password field will populate.
  
  
• The suggestion under the password form area will be in plain text.
• To use that password just click on that and it will automatically be inserted in the form as well as stored in the Google password manager. 
• Furthermore, as you click the password suggestion in your Chrome browser it will not only fill in the primary password column but also in the second one which is there to confirm the entered password. It removes the hassle of entering a password twice. 

---

If you don’t desire to use the Google smart lock suggestion and want to save the password to Google manager you entered manually, then after signing up or registering any form you will see a key icon on the right side of the URL or search bar in Google chrome just click on that and then the OK button.

To manage it you can click on the Manager passwords option or simply go to passwords.google.com.

Password Checkup stored in Google Password Manager

The passwords created by Google or you, that are saved in the Google Password manager, are not permanently going to meet the requirements of a high degree of complexity, with the enhancement in hacking technologies, eventually, they become susceptible at some point in time in the future, thus Google has launched Password Check tool. We can use this, from time to time to analyze all passwords that are saved using Google smart lock or manually by us in Google Manager.

This security tool checks the entire database of our passwords saved through Google chrome and informs you of the strength of stored passwords.

It checks them against:

Compromised Password: It means the accounts on your Google password manager use passwords that were exposed in a third-party data breach. Change these passwords immediately to keep your accounts safe.

Reused Password: All the accounts that are used again and again. If someone gets your reused password, they can use it to sign in to your other accounts, as well. Thus, create unique passwords.

Accounts using a weak password: Weak passwords are easy for other people or computers to guess. Make sure you are using strong passwords.

You can test your passwords using this link: Passwords.google.com/checkup/

Two-factor authentication

Even though the passwords offered by Google are strong, however, if in case someone got your password, all your sensitive data will be in the wrong hands, so to take the security of your accounts to next level use the Two-factor authentication technology.

Yes, all the services yet are not offering 2 step verification process, however, at least we can use them where they are available such as on Google Accounts (that save your critical passwords), Facebook, WordPress Admin Dashboard using a plugin, Bank accounts, etc. However, all major services that store extensive data of their users are now offering such protection and you should use it as well.

Two-factor authentication can be enabled on some platforms using the Google Authenticator app as well.

In general terms, those websites or platforms that offer this kind of authentication don’t allow a user to login into any account just using a username and password instead with these two it also needs a code that is usually SMS to your smartphone such as OTP which is we receive while logging in our bank accounts, online…

So, this was our short colloquy on Google password manager and how to use its Smart lock to manage our passwords created for different services.

What are your thoughts and suggestions on this let us know, the comment section is all yours!

• Restore chrome tabs after crash or restart
• How to use the inbuilt password manager in Google Chrome?
• How to Export passwords from Chrome to CSV
• Tutorial to turn off Chrome notifications on Android

---