Passwords

Advice for good passwords (from Google)

Create your password using 12 characters or more. It can be any combination of letters, numbers, and symbols (ASCII-standard characters only). Accents and accented characters aren’t supported.

You can’t use a password that:

  • Is particularly weak. Example: “password123”
  • 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.

Make your password Unique
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 your money.

Tip: If you have trouble remembering multiple passwords, learn how to use a tool to manage your saved passwords.

Make your password longer & 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)
Don’t use personal info

Avoid creating passwords from info that others might know or could easily find out. Examples:

  • Your nickname or initials
  • The name of your child or pet
  • Important birthdays or years
  • The name of your street
  • Numbers from your address
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.

If you have trouble remembering multiple passwords, consider using a trusted password manager. Take some time to research the reviews and reputations of these services.