I’ll be honest: I picked Bitwarden mainly because it’s free, but also because it’s open-source, comes recommended by writers I trust, and works across a broad range of devices. Why use Bitwarden as your password manager? But once you develop the muscle memory of using a password manager, it’s hard going back to not having one. This admittedly sounds like a hassle, which is why I suspect a lot of folks don’t bother.

While signing up for new services, use Bitwarden’s extension or app to generate strong passwords (like When signing into an account, use Bitwarden to fill in those login details.

Whenever you log into a site with your web browser, Bitwarden will show a message offering to save your login credentials.

You’ll need this if you haven’t logged into Bitwarden in a while or if you’re setting up a new device, so consider writing it down and locking it away in a safe place.

Create a Bitwarden account and set up a master password-ideally one that’s both strong and memorable.

Install the Bitwarden extension for your web browser and the Bitwarden app on iOS or Android.

Here’s how it works, using Bitwarden as an example:

Password managers: A recapĪs a refresher, password managers are a great way to break the bad habit of using the same or similar passwords across multiple apps or websites, or even having to remember lots of passwords in the first place. While my colleagues Michael Ansaldo and Alaina Yee have written a full Bitwarden review, I thought I’d relate a bit more about my personal experience with the software, plus some ways to make it work even better.

Bitwarden chromebook