A reader named Nancy wrote to me this week.

“Can you please explain how password managers work and the different options? I have a Windows PC and an Apple iPad and iPhone. Do I have to use the same browser on all devices? Or do I have to have a separate app to store passwords? How do they work with all of the different apps I need to log into?”

Password managers are great, and I hope after reading this column you’ll decide to start using one.

Their job is to help you create, remember and fill in passwords – wherever passwords are required.

You may be using different methods to remember passwords. Writing them down in a safe place is the most basic password manager. With this method, I’d advise keeping them in a small notebook that’s in a place that easy to reach, but probably not right next to your computer.

If your home is ever burglarized, you don’t want to make it easier for crooks to access your online accounts. I keep my physical password list in the Notes app on my phone and synced to a cloud storage service I can access from any phone, tablet or computer.

You’ve probably noticed your web browsers will offer to remember your passwords. This isn’t a bad thing if others don’t have access to your devices. Browsers like Google Chrome let you create accounts so you can use that login on your phone, tablet and computer and the passwords will sync up so you have them to use on all the devices.

What those browsers can’t do is fill in passwords on other apps.

Password managers are apps that let you store and use your passwords. When you set them up, you’ll be asked to create a “master password” that’s used to access all the saved passwords. In theory, the master password is the only one you need to remember.

You can use a password manager to store and fill in your existing passwords, or you can choose to let the password manager create very strong passwords to replace all the passwords you already use.

Letting the password manager create passwords is a big step, and one that I haven’t tried yet.

If you want a recommendation, look at 1Password or Last Pass or Bitwarden when you start researching which one to try.

Apple has announced a new password manager that will be released in the next few weeks with iOS 18 and MacOS 18. It will work with Macs, iPhones and iPads and they’ve also said Windows users will be able to use it through Windows version of iTunes.

I’ll be giving the Apple Passwords app a try and I’ll be writing about it in a month or two.

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