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Keeping track of an endless number of passwords as you browse online is enough to give anyone a headache. Luckily, Google Password Manager in Chrome makes life a little easier by remembering your passwords for you. Google Password Manager works on both desktop and mobile devices, provided you use the Chrome browser.
It syncs your login credentials across all your devices as long as you’re signed into your Google account. So, make sure you sign into Chrome before saving passwords. Once setup, Password Manager recognizes a new login and asks if you want to save it.
If you do, it saves your user name, email address (if applicable), and password. Visit the site again and your information fills in automatically. Google Password Manager is cross-platform.
Any device that uses Chrome can access the password manager since it’s a built-in feature of the Chrome browser. Open Chrome on any device and click your profile icon (or generic profile icon if you’re not logged in) at the top right. Click the key icon in the pop-up panel to access the password manager.
Alternately, go to Chrome’s three dot menu at the top right and select Settings . Choose Autofill and passwords -> Google Password Manager . While the remainder of this post outlines the steps for the desktop version of Google Password Manager, the instructions are nearly identical for the mobile versions, with one slight difference.
For reference, I’m using an Android device. Open Chrome and tap the three dot menu at the top right. Tap Settings and select Google Password Manager .
Tap Settings and enable Auto sign-in . It’s usually enabled by default, but if it’s not, you’ll have to give Google permission to sign you in on saved sites. While on the Settings page, I’d also recommend tapping Add shortcut to your home screen if you plan on making changes to passwords often.
As one final option, you can also visit the Password Manager site from any browser and use it to import and export passwords. You can do almost everything else using the Settings menu in Chrome. If you’re using a multi-user device, make sure you sign in with your Google account before setting up the Password Manager.
And, when you’re not using the device, log out of your Google account. The good thing is that’s the only login info you have to remember. Open Chrome and click three dot menu at the top right.
Select Passwords and autofill . Select Google Password Manager . When it opens in a new tab, click the hamburger menu on the left and select Settings .
Depending on your device, there may not be a menu. Just click Settings instead. Ensure the following options are checked: Next, turn on the Sync option to sync between all your devices.
Ensure you’re logged into your Google account and click your profile image at the top right in Chrome. Click Turn on sync . You have two main ways to add passwords – auto-save and manual.
Both work equally well. The first time you log in to a website, Chrome offers to save your credentials for you. This is the simplest and most straightforward option.
Just make sure that you enter everything correctly or you’ll need to manually edit the saved details later. Open the login page of the website you want to save your details for. Log in as you normally would.
After logging in, you’ll see a pop-up asking if you’d like to save the password. If you’re already logged into your Google account, you’ll have the option to save it there. Otherwise, it’ll save locally.
Click Next to save. If for some reason you don’t see the pop-up appear, click the key icon that appears at the far right of the address bar. You’ll then see the pop-up box to save your password.
If you don’t need to log in right now, enter your credentials, but don’t actually log in. Click the key icon in the address bar and save your details as usual. Manually add passwords at any time.
This is great if you’ve previously clicked Never when prompted to store passwords or you don’t want to log in to the website at the moment. Open Chrome and click the three dot menu at the top right. Select Passwords and autofill -> Google Password Manager .
Click Add next to Passwords . Enter all the required details. Make sure you enter the URL for the login portion of the website and not just the homepage URL.
Click Save when you’re finished. A commonly overlooked, yet highly useful feature of Google Password Manager is creating strong, unique passwords. Take advantage of it when creating a new account on a website or app.
When creating a new account, use Chrome to navigate to the login page of the site you want to create an account on. Enter everything but a password. Right-click the password field and select Suggest password.
.. .
Click Use strong password to use the suggested password. You’ll only see it briefly. Then, proceed as usual to create your account and save the credentials.
Everyone changes passwords from time to time, which also means you’ll need to edit them in Google Password Manager in Chrome. Open Chrome and ensure you’re logged into your Google account. Visit the Password Manager site directly or click your profile icon and click the key icon to open Password Manager.
Click the arrow beside the site you need to change. Enter your device pin or Google account password when prompted. This varies based on your device.
Click the arrow again and click Edit . Enter the new details and select Save . If you want to generate a stronger password, open any site and start to create a new account, right-click the password field and have Google suggest a password for you.
Copy this down and use it for an existing account. Or, use Password Generator . If you have numerous passwords that you want to import at once into Google Password Manager, you can do so by importing a CSV file.
If you’re using another password manager, export your existing passwords as a CSV file and then import them into Google. Click your profile icon in Chrome and select the key icon. Once on the Google Password Manager page, click the hamburger menu to the top left and select Settings .
Scroll down to Import passwords . Select whether to import to this device or your Google account. Then, choose your file and upload.
If you don’t have an existing password manager, you can create your own CSV file. Ensure that it has the following columns: If you have any trouble importing a CSV, verify that those three column names exist exactly as they are above. Exporting works similarly.
Instead of clicking Import in the above process, click Export . Choose where to save the file and you’re done. This works well if you’re moving to a different password manager or just want a backup of your passwords.
It’s a good idea to keep a backup of your passwords on an external hard drive or flash drive. Users passwords have disappeared after device and browser updates. Google’s Online Security and Protection site outlines how the company secures your information.
It also provides two valuable tips – create an extremely strong password for your Google account and enable 2-step verification. These are just a few ways to keep your Google account safer . Create a completely unique password for your Google account.
You’ll be required to enter it whenever you try to access a list of your passwords or make any changes. Then, open Chrome, click your profile icon, and select Manage your Google account. Select Security from the sidebar and choose 2-step verification .
Select your second step(s), such as a passkey , prompt, authenticator, or phone number. Then, click Turn on 2-step verification . Wish you knew if your passwords were part of a breach or just considered weak? Google Password Manager checks for you.
Open Chrome and select your profile icon. Select the key icon. Open the hamburger menu (if available) and click Checkup.
The tool starts immediately and checks all stored logins. If you don’t want to use the password manager anymore within Chrome, turn it off so it’s not nagging you to save passwords. Click your profile icon in Chrome and select the key icon.
Then, select Settings from the hamburger menu (or sidebar, depending on device). Turn off Offer to save passwords and passkeys . Once that’s off, select Passwords from the side menu.
Select any sites you want to delete, enter your password when prompted and select Delete . Delete all stored credentials at once by first turning off Sync when clicking your profile icon. Then, open the three dot menu in Chrome and selecting Delete browsing data .
Open the Advanced tab and check Passwords and other sign-in data . Click Delete data . Repeat this on all synced devices.
You can turn sync back on when you’re done. If you are switching to another password manager, try these Google Password Manager alternatives . If Chrome stops responding while trying to manage passwords, try these fixes .
For Chrome power users, master these keyboard shortcuts . Image credit: Unsplash All screenshots by Crystal Crowder Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps.
She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems..
