Support: Password Generator

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Common questions

Are the passwords sent anywhere or saved?

No. Each password is created by your browser on your own device using its secure random number generator. It is never sent to us, never saved, and gone when you close the tab.

How long should a password be?

At least 12 characters for everyday accounts, and 16 or more for email, banking and password managers. Length adds more strength than symbols do.

What is a passphrase, and is it as safe?

A passphrase is several random words, like Maple-River-Kettle-Orbit-Lemon. Five or more truly random words are very hard to crack and much easier to remember and type than random characters. The words must be chosen randomly, not by you.

How is the time to crack worked out?

It assumes an attacker who has stolen a password database and can try 10 billion guesses a second, which is a fast, well-equipped attack. It is shown to compare passwords, not as a guarantee.

Why leave out look-alike characters?

Characters like l, 1 and I, or O and 0, are easy to mix up when reading a password aloud or typing it from paper. Leaving them out makes each character slightly less random but the password much easier to use.

Some sites reject symbols. What should I do?

Turn off symbols and make the password a few characters longer instead. A 20-character password of letters and numbers is stronger than a 12-character one with symbols.

Should I reuse a strong password?

No. Use a different password for every account, so one leak cannot unlock the others. A password manager remembers them for you.