Getting started with a password manager

A password manager remembers every password for you, creates strong new ones, and fills them in automatically. You only need to remember one strong main password. These steps use 1Password, and most password managers work the same way.

Step 1: Accept your invite

1. Open the invitation email and click Join.
2. Create your account password. Make it a long passphrase you've never used anywhere else.
3. Save your Emergency Kit (the PDF containing your Secret Key). Store it somewhere safe and offline.

Your main password can't be recovered by us or by 1Password. That's what keeps it secure. Choose one you'll remember, and keep your Emergency Kit safe.

Step 2: Install the apps

• The desktop app for Windows or Mac.
• The browser extension for Chrome, Edge or Safari. This is what fills in your logins.
• The phone app. Turn on autofill in your phone's settings.

Step 3: Save your logins

• Sign in to sites as normal, and click Save when the password manager offers.
• Import saved passwords from your browser, then delete them from the browser.

Step 4: Use it for new passwords

When you create or change a password, let the password manager generate it. You'll never need to type or remember it.

Sharing with colleagues

• Share logins through shared vaults, never by email, chat or sticky note.
• Only share what someone actually needs.

Good habits

• Check the security report (Watchtower in 1Password) for weak, reused or breached passwords, and fix them.
• Turn on MFA for your password manager account.
• Lock the app when you step away, or let it lock automatically.