How To Remember Your Master Password

Updated 1/17/2017

Now that you have Dashlane’s paid or free password manager to remember your passwords, you only need to remember one: your Master Password.

That’s a big weight off your shoulders, but it also comes with one responsibility—you must remember your Master Password.

If your track record with passwords doesn’t leave you with high confidence, you’re not the only one. In our recent blog post, we explore why it’s so hard to remember complex passwords. Luckily, we have three tips that make it super easy to remember your Master Password! 

Write down a password hint, and keep it in a safe place.

If you’re struggling to memorize your new Master Password, create a password hint to trigger your memory, but it should be meaningless to anyone else. Then, store your password hint in a super safe place, like your wallet or safety deposit box. That way, even if your safe place is compromised—say, you lose your wallet—it’s still meaningless to anyone but you.

Use password mnemonics to create a complex, memorable password.

Password mnemonics make it easy to memorize long lists of items, especially passwords. Create a sentence that only means something to you. Then, use a pattern like the first letter (or second) of every word. Add numbers, capital letters, and symbols for password complexity, like so: “I love watermelon because it just turns to water in your belly!” = “iLwmbcijtth2Oiyb!”.

Use Dashlane’s Emergency Sharing feature to set up your backup plan.

If you forget your Master Password, this tip will help ease the pain of resetting your accounts. All you have to do is set up an Emergency Sharing contact now. Give someone you trust, like a family member or coworker, time-controlled access to the passwords that you trust them with. For example, give your coworker access to four work passwords with a two-hour waiting period. That means they can request to view those four passwords and have two hours until they can view them. That also gives you two hours to block their access if there’s no real emergency.