Random Password Generator
Create a strong password that’s random and secure to keep all your online accounts safe. Our password generator below has a unique mix of options that harden your passphrase – keep most of them checked for the best results.
What exactly is a Password Generator?
It’s a tool that creates a random string of letters, numbers and symbols, all at a click of a button. More simply, a password generator creates a code that’s impossible to guess. And one that you can use for any online account (email, social media, etc).
We recommend you use a different password for each account. That way, one hacked account doesn’t impact the rest.
Constant battle against the dark web
Over the past decade, a ton of passwords have leaked onto the dark web (the digital, criminal underground). Most of those were from massive security breaches at Yahoo, LinkedIn and elsewhere. So, there’s a good chance one or more of your passwords already lives there. After you login to a website, if Chrome will alerts you about a compromised password, take action. Be sure to replace it with a newly generated one as soon as possible.
How does our random password generator work?
All online generators work in slightly different ways. Our random password generator uses an algorithm to combine 26 letters (case sensitive), 15 symbols and 10 numbers into a password of at least 10 characters long.
You can control password length and whether to use case, numbers or symbols. The end result is an unguessable string of characters you can use with any account. We recommend you keep “Uppercase, Numbers and Symbols” checked as that dramatically increases the variability and strength of the generated password.
With regard to character length, we set the default to 10 – our minimum recommended length for passwords exposed to the internet. Use less than 10 characters solely for intranets or offline applications (even then, consider more than 10 for the peace of mind).
Finally, the passwords we produce aren’t stored or saved anywhere. They’re all generated by your browser (“front-end“, not back-end via a database) and only ever visible to you. Steer clear of generators that save your passwords out of “convenience” or otherwise.
What makes a password strong?
In a word, complexity. Length of characters is also big deal. Here’s exactly what to put into action when making your next password:
- Length – as mentioned above, longer the better. Use at least 10 characters for each password. Each additional character logarithmically adds an extra layer of difficulty so better to go closer to 15 or 20.
- Complex – use a mix of lower/upper case letters, numbers and special characters to ensure the most variability.
- Unique – make sure you don’t share the same password across accounts or platforms. For example, with two steaming accounts like Hulu or Disney, it’s best practice to use different passwords. To keep track of everything, password managers can help consolidate all your passwords into one. More on that below.
Benefits of a password manager
If you have a bunch of accounts and most have different passwords, a password manager lets you use one master password to keep track of all of them. The first step is to create an account with a reputable password manager program. We highly recommend Keeper Security — they’re secure, very easy to use and always near the top of customer satisfaction lists.
Once you have a password manager setup, individually add each password. Next, link the manager to your browser (e.g., Chrome). Thereafter, when you visit a saved website, the password manager will automatically fill in your credentials, saving you the headache of remembering each password.
Good password managers like Keeper also let you securely store your identity and payment information. In addition, fingerprint and Face ID are a cool option to keep your mobile or laptop transactions more secure. Finally, a few also scan the dark web and sent out alerts when passwords are compromised.
Do I really need a unique password for every account?
If you want to stay secure, yes. Definitely never use one password for all your accounts. That’s a quick way to become a victim of identity theft.
Imagine your Instagram account getting hacked. And that it shares the same password with your bank and email accounts. No doubt, you’d be at very high risk of someone resetting your bank password and transferring funds into their account. Doesn’t take much these days.
What are some of the worst type of passwords?
You’d be surprised how many people still use “password” or “123456” to secure the most private of accounts. For example, I have an otherwise sharp friend who actually admitted to using “mypassword” for their online bank account. It was meant to temporary but they forgot to change it. Unfortunately, the mistake was only caught after the account got hacked (nothing major was taken). Stories like that play out countless times a day, all over world.
