Whether you want to change your password management not because, or you are a LastPass user who is irritated with the service recent changes at its free level, switching to the beloved (and free) Bitwarden service is a good choice. Bitwarden is now the best free password manager for most people – as it works on all your devices to provide ease and security to your logins – and set it up quickly and easily.
Start to start Bitwarden’s website and create an account. It’s free to do, and all you have to worry about is giving yourself a solid master password. Make it good and one that you do not use anywhere else, because it will be one of the gatekeepers for all your other passwords that you will store on the service. After creating your account and logging in, you will need to verify your email address with the option in the top right corner.
If you come from another service – such as LastPass – you want to find a tool that allows you to enter your passwords. On LastPass it is among the Advanced options link at the bottom; exporting your passwords basically converts it into a simple .CSV list.
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You then copy the list (which I do not screen shoot for obvious reasons) directly to Bitwarden via the Tools menu > Enter data.
Your passwords will all appear on your main screen and should also sync with your various Bitwarden programs the next time you use them. To change one of your passwords, click on the hyperlink for a given website or service. You can also use the raticon that appears when you hover over each listing to copy your username or password directly to your clipboard.
These are the basics of Bitwarden, but you’re not quite done yet. Click on the profile picture in the top right corner and select My account. From there, click on Two-step login in the left-hand sidebar.
Here you will set up two-factor authentication for your account – no need to do this use Bitwarden, but strongly recommend protecting your account from unauthorized logins. You can choose to email 2FA codes to verify any login attempts, but I recommend that you use them an authentication app instead. It’s also easy to set up and acts as a password manager for all your two-factor verification tokens.
You can also use the Options link to the left sidebar, which lets you adjust your Vault timeout – such as how long it will stay open from the last time you visited it. Pass that time, and you will need to re-enter your password. Turn it off if you’re on a shared computer, and consider turning it on a bit if you feel particularly secure in your setup.
Then grab all the Bitwarden programs and extensions what you need for your devices and browsers. It’s easy to install and they give you access to everything you’ve stored in your Bitwarden safe. For example, in the case of your browser, just right-click on a password to pull up your Bitwarden autofill:
And that’s it. Bitwarden’s free version does not offer many features – for example, not checking your stored passwords for leaks – but it does provide you with a quick and easy way to sync passwords on all your devices. What do you dislike?