Why do I need a complex password?

To you, your passwords are the keys to your accounts. To hackers and other bad actors, your passwords are a gateway to your digital life, including your sensitive personal information, money, and undisclosed business data. Even the hack of “unimportant” information could cause your other accounts or private life to be compromised.

What makes a password strong?

A strong, secure password is one that isn’t easy to guess. Every password you create should be both unique and random, and they should never be reused. Best practice is to create a password which is over 12 characters long and includes a combination of symbols, numbers, and upper- and lowercase letters. It can be difficult to create a truly unique, random password on your own – and it’s even harder to memorize them. A password generator makes the process easy, though. Set the parameters and let the LastPass generate, save, and memorize secure passwords for all your accounts.

Why a password generator is the best way to create secure passwords

It’s completely random. There’s no human factor with the LastPass password generator. Users or admins can set password generation requirements – password character length, characters used, whether it’s easy to read – and let LastPass handle the rest. Best of all, you can seamlessly generate passwords right from within the LastPass app or browser extension. Generating a completely random 16 character password with numbers, symbols, and uppercase and lowercase letters has never been simpler.

Is the LastPass password generator safe?

Yes. The LastPass password generator creates random, secure passwords based on the parameters set by and admin or you, the user. Every password generated is tested against the industry-standard zxcvbn library – a password strength estimator influenced by password hackers – to determine the strength of the generated password. Once you have saved the generated password to your password vault, it is automatically stored and encrypted so only you have access to it.

What is a Master Password?

LastPass users have a Master Password which allows them to decrypt their encrypted password vault. When you enter your Master Password, it is applied to a cryptographic function that creates a key that encrypts (or decrypts) your vault, providing access to your saved credentials. It’s a part of the zero-knowledge encryption model LastPass is built on, meaning the only person who uses and knows your Master Password is you – LastPass never stores it. Moreover, LastPass never has access to your unencrypted vault or the passwords stored inside it.

How do I create a complex password that’s easy to remember?

A complex password is a password that’s a minimum of 12 characters in length and is comprised of a variety of numbers, symbols, and upper- and lowercase letters. It should also avoid using identifying information – personal information a hacker could find from a Google search or scouring your social media accounts and whole words. Creating a memorable, strong password can be difficult. And if it’s a password you need to remember, like your LastPass Master Passwords, you want to make sure it’s both uncrackable and easy to memorize. A good rule of thumb is to use a mnemonic device or an acronym, one that includes symbols and numbers. For instance, say The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” is your favorite song. Make a password out of the first letter of the lyrics, alternating lowercase and uppercase letters. So “Hey Jude, don’t make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better” becomes: hJdMiBtASs&MiB Now just add in some other symbols and numbers, ones that you’ll be able to remember – such as the year the song was released (1968). So your password becomes: $1hJd9MiB6tAS8s&MiB! This is a memorable password that’s incredibly strong – it’s over 16 characters long, has a mix of letter casing, and uses various numbers and symbols. For any passwords beside your Master Password, rely on the LastPass password generator to create a unique, strong password for you. Then save it to your vault and LastPass will autofill it the next time you need it.

What password cannot be hacked?

Unbreakable passwords are at least 16 characters long, mix upper- and lowercase letters, have numbers, and use several symbols. A good example of a strong, random password is: P03$cEw^b7gH@uY!2 Most of all, you should never reuse your password. Because even if a password is strong, it can be cracked if it’s reused for multiple accounts. If one of your accounts gets hacked – say, your Facebook password gets leaked due to a breach of Facebook itself – any other accounts that use that password are at risk of getting hacked. You should always generate a unique, strong password for every account you already have or create. The LastPass password generator makes that an easy task.

Can I use the password generator to create a username?

Technically you can; however, it’s recommended you use the LastPass username generator tool. Our username generator tool will not include any numbers or symbols, which some websites do not allow in their usernames. In combination, you can use the username generator tool to create a random username and truly secure the account you’re creating by using the password generator tool to generate a strong password.

Comparing LastPass to Built-in Free Password Generators

How do browser password managers compare to LastPass?

Password managers like iCloud Keychain and Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and other browsers lack the essential security features that are built-in to LastPass. When it comes to sensitive information like your passwords, those security features are crucial.

Access your passwords across all your devices

Premium LastPass plans work on all browsers, across all your devices and any OS – from Mac to Windows, Android to iOS. You can freely access passwords across your work laptop, your smartphone, and your home tablet, securely accessing essential logins and secure notes whenever you need them.

Browser password managers, on the other hand, only work with the browser you’re using – they don’t support other browsers. So for Google Chrome and iCloud Keychain, you’re stuck storing and accessing your passwords only in Chrome and Safari.

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Military-grade, award-winning security

With LastPass, you get best-in-class security. LastPass utilizes a zero-knowledge security model which features AES 256-bit encryption of the vault and PBKDF2-SHA256 one-way salted hashing of the master password. Both ensure only you have the keys to unlock your vault and that your data is never visible to anyone but you – not even LastPss.

Best of all, even if a security incident occurs to LastPass, the company, your LastPass password vault will never be compromised thanks to the premier vault encryption.

Simply, securely share passwords with family and friends

LastPass supports secure sharing with other users, so it’s easy to safely share passwords to friends and family – no need to share it by text message, Instagram DM, or WhatsApp. LastPass Premium supports sharing with one other LastPass user at a time, while LastPass Families allows sharing with as many LastPass users as you like.

Google Password manager and iCloud Keychain do not support or offer password sharing. The two only share passwords to the browser application. You’re thus forced to share your passwords through unsecure methods, putting your cybersecurity at serious risk.

Different LastPass plans provide you with more sophisticated password-sharing options. For example, with LastPass Families plan you can even manage and share passwords by folders. So you can share a folder called “streaming passwords” with your household while only sharing the “banking and credit informations” folder with your spouse.

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Additional, advanced layers of security

LastPass users can secure their acounts further if they want to, placing more unbreakable roadblocks between their data and bad actors.

All LastPass tiers have access to multifactor authentication (MFA), which adds additional checkpoints prior to accessing the vault to ensure data is truly locked down. Users can utilize the LastPass Authenticator app or additional 3rd-party authentication methods.

In contrast, Google Chrome and iOS users can implement two-factor authentication (2FA), but they can only do so with their built-in authenticator, so their security options are limited.

LastPass paid subscribers also get access to advanced MFA options, which include biometrics (fingerprint scan) and 3rd-party hardware keys, like YubiKey. Users can establish either of these advanced MFA methods to further secure their account against anyone who isn’t them.

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Your data is kept separate and safe

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. With Google and iCloud, you’re placing all of your personal data in one place. If someone hacks your Chrome or Mac/iOS devices, they can easily get access to the rest of your information – email, calendar, file storage, sensitive documents, photos – as well as your passwords.

LastPass keeps your environments separated. We only handle your passwords and sensitive data you store. Anything your store is securely encrypted, available and visible only to you.

And by extending your LastPass Master Password to passwordless, where you use your biometric info (fingerprint) as a Master Password, you remove the obstacles between you and the sites stored in your vault, while still keeping them secure.

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LastPass vs Free Built-in Solutions

How LastPass Exceeds Traditional Browser Password Managers

How do browser password managers compare to LastPass?

Access your passwords across all your devices

Military-grade, award-winning security

Trusted by millions, recognized by experts

Simply, securely share passwords with family and friends

Additional, advanced layers of security

Your data is kept separate and safe

Learn more about the LastPass Password Generator tool

LastPass Password Generator

How Does the Random Password Generator Work?

Tips for Creating Strong Passwords

Take your passwords anywhere with LastPass