Top password tips

If you get frustrated every time your Mac asks you to create or enter a password, welcome to the club. The concept of using a secret string of characters to identify a person—and, in many cases, encrypt information to keep other people from seeing it—pervades the world of computing. While passwords may have been a good idea decades ago, today they rank right up there with spam as a major source of annoyance for computer users. Fortunately, you can eliminate a great deal of this password pain with a combination of common sense and technology. Here's how to create, manage, and remember all your passwords.

Top password tips

If you want to protect private information, you need long, strong, and unique passwords. That means not using the same password for every one of your accounts, but we all know that's easier said than done. In this three-part series, Joe Kissell shows you how to create, manage, and remember good passwords.

Create stronger passwords

Passwords protect your credit card, bank account, and personal data. But how many of us rely on the same one (involving a pet's name to boot) for every account we have? Here's how to create long, strong passwords that you'll be able to remember.
Manage your passwords

Once you've committed to using strong passwords for every account you have, you have to figure out some way to remember all of them. Password managers provide the easiest—and most secure—answer.
Remember your passwords

Want to use secure passwords, but fearful you'll get in a bind if you use ones too complicated to memorize? You'll always be able to access critical passwords if you take these steps.