Making Strong Random Passwords: Length Beats Symbols, and How to Store Them Safely

Passwords people invent usually follow a pattern, such as a name plus a birth year, and password guessers try those first. A truly random password has no pattern to guess.

Long beats complicated

Strength comes from length and randomness. Adding one more character multiplies the possibilities more than adding one symbol to a short password.

Options

• Set the length and the kinds of characters.
• Drop look-alike characters such as O and 0 or I, l and 1.
• Generate many at once.
• See the entropy and guessing time.

Using them safely

• Use a different password on every site.
• Keep them in a password manager.
• Turn on two-step verification where available.

Not stored, not sent

Passwords are made in your browser with the system random generator and are neither saved nor sent anywhere.