Keeping track of all your various passwords can be difficult at times. We know the routine. You’re yelling at your computer or phone while entering every password you can think of only to be told it’s incorrect.
Then, you’re prompted to click on the “forget password” link and forced to reset your password. Sure, this grants you access to your account for the time being, but it’s only temporary. Why?
It’s only a matter of time before you forget that password too. Struggling to remember passwords? Are you tired of creating new passwords and having to reset accounts each month?
There’s an easier way of doing things. There are several methods of remembering passwords withing putting them at risk. In the guide below, you’ll learn a few of those methods.
Continue reading to get started!
Form a List of Hints
One of the first things you can do is form a list of hints for each password. Be sure to create this list on paper and keep it somewhere away from your computer. Do your best to avoid all the most common hiding spots that people are more likely to check.
Plus, you don’t want to write this list down on your actual computer unless you’re able to place it in a secure folder.
The site, https://setapp.com/how-to/password-protect-folder-on-mac, can teach you more about how to protect folders on your computer with a password. Otherwise, grab a pen and paper and write down one or two hints for each password you need to remember. The hints might be something like, “my favorite cousin’s name” for instance.
When you create this list of hints, it’s fine to place an abbreviation of the website or program that the password’s for. This way, you know which password goes to what.
Write Down Partial Passwords
Another way to help you remember passwords without you actually writing the passwords down is to write down partial passwords. For example, if your password was “Billy54WallStreet”, then you can write down “B54WS.” Hopefully, something like this will trigger you to remember exactly what the password is.
You can also consider writing down the first letter of the password, followed by a clue or hint for what the rest of the password is. When you’re writing down partial passwords, make sure it’s something you’ll be able to remember but other people won’t be able to figure out.
Make Each One Relatable to the Site
Another great way to help you remember each password is to make your passwords for each specific website or program relatable to it. For example, if you’re making a password for your Gmail account, then you may want to create a password that starts with the letter, “G.”
You can also use a website or program’s logo, purpose, or another factor that helps you remember what it is. If you’re creating a password for a movie-watching app, then you might consider starting or ending your password with the word, “movie,” for example.
This will help you keep track of what passwords go with what login.
List the Passwords Backward
When writing down a list of passwords for each login, you don’t want to write down the exact password. Why? If anyone were to find this list, they then have access to every single account of yours.
This is why it’s important for you to be clever when writing your list. A great way to write down passwords without giving them away completely is to list the passwords backward. You’ll easily know how to correctly enter the password for each account, but others might have a bit of trouble figuring out your method.
Also, instead of writing down what account each password is for, consider using only the first letter of the account. This will make it even more challenging for hackers or thieves. For example, if you want to write down a password for your Facebook, then it might look like this, “F:” followed by your backward password.
Use a Sentence That Matches the Letters
Writing down a sentence for each letter and number of your password will help you remember exactly what the password is. For others, they may not even realize it’s a list of passwords. To those who don’t know any better, it may look like a list of random sentences or riddles perhaps.
For example, the password, “Sp78rwGln” could be written as “Sally picked 78 roses with Glen last night.” You’ll know how to decode this, which is pretty simple, but others won’t.
Tweak a Base Password
Having one base password that you then tweak for each separate account is a great way to help you remember each one. The way this method works is by creating one solid password that you’ll use as your base. This can be any series of letters and numbers.
Don’t forget to add in a capital letter and special characters as well. Once you have your base password selected, you’ll then tweak it for each specific account. For example, if your base password was “theMoon39!” you’ll then add certain characters based on the account it’s for.
For Facebook, you might tweak it to, “theMoon39!FB.” Do this for each individual account you have. You’ll only need to remember one main password by doing so.
Can You Remember Passwords?
Do you think you have what it takes to remember every single password for all your accounts? If you can’t remember passwords easily, then be sure to use the advice listed here in this guide. Remembering one or two passwords might be realistic, but remembering several passwords for multiple accounts is a challenge.
Hopefully, with the help of this guide, you won’t have to hit that “forget password” link ever again.
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