STEP 01
A password app
Somewhere safe for every login you are about to create.
An app that remembers every password so you never have to. Do this one first, before you create anything else.
- Time
- 10 min
- Approximate cost
- About $3 a month
- When you are done
- Every login lives in one place and works on all your devices.
How to set it up
Go to 1password.com and click Get 1Password.
Choose the Individual plan. Not family, not business.
Type in your email. They send a code. Enter it.
They hand you a Secret Key, a long code. Do not screenshot it and do not email it to yourself. An inbox is the first place an attacker looks.
Use their own Emergency Kit instead. Download the PDF they offer, print it, and put the paper somewhere you keep important documents. A safe, a locked drawer, a fireproof box.
If you lose that key and your password, nobody on earth can get you back in. That is the point of it, and it is why the paper copy matters.
Create your one master password. Make it a sentence you will never forget.
On your phone, install the app from the app store and sign in.
On your computer, install the browser extension and sign in.
Turn on Face ID or fingerprint on the phone so you are not typing it all day.
Save one login into it right now, so you have used it once.
Before you start, and what to watch for
When you are done
Every login lives in one place and works on all your devices.
What it costs
The personal plan is enough. Around $3 a month at the time of writing. Do not buy the family or business tier yet.
Watch out for
People leave this until last. Then they have twelve passwords in a phone note and no idea which is which.
Third-party prices, fees and payout times are approximate, were accurate when written, and can change at any time. Check the provider's own pricing page before you buy.
Educational information only, not legal, tax, accounting, banking or security advice. Requirements, prices and product features can change.