Keeping your passwords safe and secure is crucial: They’re what unlock all of your digital accounts, from email clients to social media apps to payment services, and these are places where you don’t want unwelcome visitors wandering around.
In the modern age, most of us have dozens of these accounts at least—but to maintain high levels of security, you need passwords that are unique and lengthy, which gives you the problem of having to remember them all.
The fix is using a password manager, which remembers all your logins for you (and even helps you invent strong passwords). There are plenty to choose from, but here we’ll take a look at the Google Password Manager, which is free to use and works on most devices.
Finding and setting up Google Password Manager The obvious place to start with the Google Password Manager, if you’re completely new to it, is inside Google Chrome on the desktop. On any open tab, click the three dots (top right), then choose Passwords and Autofill Google Password Manager. From here you can view and edit passwords, check for weak and duplicated passwords, and configure how the Google Password Manager works inside Chrome.
As you would expect, Google Password Manager is tightly integrated into Android. From Settings, choose Passwords, passkeys and accounts (Pixel phones), or Security and privacy > More security settings > Passwords, passkeys, and autofill (Galaxy phones). Set up Google Password Manager here, and your passwords will be saved and retrieved for recognized apps on Android as well as inside Chrome.
Google Chrome for Android comes with the Google Password Manager too, of course, for websites—just make sure you’re signed into the same Google account that’s associated with your passwords. Tap the three dots (top right) on any tab, then Settings and Google Password Manager to get at your passwords.
You can get at the Google Password Manager on an iPhone too, but the integration isn’t quite as comprehensive, and you need Google Chrome for iOS installed. From any open tab inside the mobile browser, tap the three dots (bottom right), then Password Manager. You can also head to iOS Settings, and choose General > Autofill & Passwords, and enable Chrome—this means you’ll be able to sign into iOS apps outside Chrome using your saved credentials (though you won’t be able to save new credentials).
At the top of the Google Password Manager front screen, and on the individual listings pages, you’ll see warnings about weak passwords, duplicate passwords, and passwords that have been exposed in data leaks. Whenever you see one of these warnings, it’s a good idea to follow the instructions for changing your password as soon as you can.
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