2026 Security Checkup: Password Manager First Steps ⭐

Password managers are the key to properly securing your online accounts, but they can also be confusing. The term password manager is itself inadequate, for starters, as these solutions are really identity managers that also manage and protect passkeys and personal information while helping fight online fraud and other malicious behavior. But there are too many of them, and too many of us have collections of passwords in multiple places. And the best password managers are not free.
? Why use a password manager
A password manager helps us overcome the inherent security issues with passwords by protecting our online accounts via proactive means such as creating and managing complex passwords and passkeys in a single, secure place.
Leaving aside the reality that you are already using one or more password managers every day across all your devices, you need to use a password manager. And I mean a password manager, meaning one password manager. Once you've chosen and started using a password manager, you should disable previous password managers and delete any data they contain.
Some will inevitably bring up the point that a password manager is a single point of failure. That's ridiculous. Right now, you're the weakest link in the protections placed around your online accounts. And you will properly secure your password manager with multifactor authentication (MFA) via a separate app, just as you do with those online accounts that support it.

❓ What to look for in a password manager
At a high level, every password manager, even the inferior solutions built into your web browser, offers the same basic features:

Store and manage passwords (really, usernames and passwords) for the online accounts you use to access websites, apps, and services.
Generate strong passwords for new online accounts or to replace existing passwords.
Autofill your sign-in credentials (username and password) when you need to sign-in to a website (via a browser extension on desktop or a standalone app on mobile) or an app (via a standalone app on mobile or desktop).
Sync your passwords and other personal information to the cloud so that changes made on one device are available everywhere immediately.
Protect your access via whatever biometric security capabilities your PC, phone, or tablet offers. Each time you access your password manager on any device, you will authenticate yourself, proving you are who you are.

But you should expect more from a password manager than those basic features. Some additional features to expect if not demand include:

Passkey support.
Payment method support so you can autofill credit card and other payment method information automatically.
Proactive scanning of accounts for vulnerabilities and Dark Web leaks. This can include highlighting which of your accounts have weak or reused passwords, accounts that support 2FA or passkeys you have not configured, and more.
Email alias support so you can sign up...