Guide To Creating Strong Passwords
Creating a strong password & a more secure account
A secure password and updated recovery info help protect your personal and health information.
(This information is taken liberally from Google guidelines here. )
Create a strong password
A strong password helps you:
- Keep your personal info safe
- Protect your emails, files, and other content
- Prevent someone else from getting in to your account
Meet password requirements
Your password can be any combination of letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers, and symbols.
You can't use a password that:
- Is particularly weak. Example: "password123", "qwertyuiop["
- You've used before on your account
- Starts or ends with a blank space
Follow tips for a good password
A strong password can be memorable to you but nearly impossible for someone else to guess. Learn what makes a good password, then follow these tips to create your own.
Use a different password for each of your important accounts, like your email and online banking.
Reusing passwords for important accounts is risky. If someone gets your password for one account, they could access your email, address, and even finances.
Tip: If you have trouble remembering multiple passwords, learn how to use a tool to manage your saved passwords.
Make your password longer and more memorable
Long passwords are stronger, so make your password at least 12 characters long. These tips can help you create longer passwords that are easier to remember. Try to use:
- A lyric from a song or poem
- A meaningful quote from a movie or speech
- A passage from a book
- A series of words that are meaningful to you
- An abbreviation: Make a password from the first letter of each word in a sentence
Avoid choosing passwords that could be guessed by:
- People who know you
- People looking at easily accessible info (like your social media profile)
Avoid Personal Info & Common Words
Don’t use personal info
Avoid creating passwords from info that others might know or could easily find out. Examples:
- Numbers from your address
- The name of your street
- Important birthdays or years
- The name of your children or pets
- Your nickname or initials
Don’t use common words & patterns
Avoid simple words, phrases, and patterns that are easy to guess. Examples:
- Obvious words and phrases like "password" or "letmein"
- Sequences like "abcd" or "1234"
- Keyboard patterns like "qwerty" or "qazwsx"
Keep passwords secure
After you create a strong password, take steps to keep it safe.
Hide written passwords
If you need to write your password down, don’t leave it on your computer or desk. Make sure any written passwords are stored somewhere that’s secret or locked.
Manage your passwords with a tool
If you have trouble remembering multiple passwords, consider using a trusted password manager. Password managers can not only keep track of your passwords, allowing for more unique passwords, but also suggest unique passwords. Some password managers will give you warnings when you use the same passwords for multiple sites which is a not secure. Take some time to research the reviews and reputations of these services.
You can also use computer operating system password tools or browser based password tools. This is recommended if you use one operating system or one browser primarily; e.g. Apple or Android & Chrome.