# Keeping website logins organized **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032 "2005-09-29T15:31:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![archmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/1 "2005-09-29T15:31:50Z")
I seem to be having a hell of a time keeping track of all my website logins organized. How do you keep them organized? Or do you live dangerously and keep the same login and password everywhere you go? I have been using notes in Outlooks to reference websites, but it isn’t cutting it. Is there a killer app? A webservice? Thanks in advance ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/2 "2005-09-29T18:20:09Z")
[PasswordSafe](http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/) works pretty well for me. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/3 "2005-09-30T00:11:34Z")
> [@archmichael](#): > > I seem to be having a hell of a time keeping track of all my website logins organized. How do you keep them organized? Or do you live dangerously and keep the same login and password everywhere you go? > > I have been using notes in Outlooks to reference websites, but it isn’t cutting it. Is there a killer app? A webservice? > > Thanks in advance I use the same login for the sites [well, one of several, some sites want a name, some want an email address] and my passwords are all the same, however i change passwords once a calendar month on a random day, and the password is generated randomly. I have a friend who has all his logins are the name of ww2 japanese admirals, and the passwords are names of ww2 japanese ships. Go figure 😕 ---
**Author:** ![archmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@archmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/archmichael)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/4 "2005-09-30T00:21:57Z")
Thanks for responding, and thanks for the recommendation **av8rmike**. I just seem to be having a lot of time keeping my logins straight. I try to keep ‘archmichael’ every chance I get, but it is not unique enough to guarantee that I can grab it at every site. So sometimes, not only cant I remember my password. I don’t even remember what my login id is. Judging from the amount of responses, I guess not too many other people are having this problem. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/5 "2005-09-30T02:27:40Z")
Coincidentally, I just read about PasswordSafe in _Popular Science_ – like, 5 minutes ago – so I intend to check that out. In the meantime, I use web-based e-mail and keep all of my login/password combinations in a folder called “Accounts.” Most sites send some sort of confirmation message upon registration, and it if contains both pieces of info it goes in the folder. Otherwise, I send myself an e-mail with the info and _that_ goes in the folder. I can access my e-mail from any computer I might be on, which means I can look up whatever account info I need whenever I need it. Currently, I have 74 such messages in my Accounts folder – plus, a few accounts get their own folder (AES, Allstate, Comcast, Flickr, Google, H&R Block, IMDb, [Match.com](http://Match.com), Motley Fool, MySpace, SDMB, VA Power, and Verizon Wireless). Why yes, I _am_ quite anal retentive. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/6 "2005-09-30T14:02:21Z")
I use KeePass [http://keepass.sourceforge.net/](http://keepass.sourceforge.net/) , a free, open-source password safe program. It even will help you generate random passwords. I keep it on a USB drive I carry with me everywhere, so I always have the logins/passwords with me no matter where I am. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/7 "2005-09-30T14:21:20Z")
> [@Lips\_Obsession](#): > > I use KeePass [http://keepass.sourceforge.net/](http://keepass.sourceforge.net/) , a free, open-source password safe program. It even will help you generate random passwords. I keep it on a USB drive I carry with me everywhere, so I always have the logins/passwords with me no matter where I am. Sounds just like PasswordSafe, which is also open source and small enough to keep on a USB drive (and will generate random passwords). What’s the difference between the two apps? ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/8 "2005-10-02T00:48:47Z")
I’m not familiar with PasswordSafe. I know there are a number of programs out there that do similar things. I used to use the PC Magazine utility “Password Prompter” until they made all their utilities “paid” where you had to be a subscriber to their site/magazine to get 'em. ---
**Author:** ![MizGrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cdc98d/32.png) [@MizGrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MizGrand)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/9 "2005-10-02T16:23:06Z")
I just make a tiny Excel sheet with 3 columns. Site, username and password. I store it on a CD and make a little tiny copy for my desk. I update it when I’ve joined more websites and it is really easy to maintain. ---
**Author:** ![Caligulas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a5b964/32.png) [@Caligulas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caligulas)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/10 "2005-10-02T18:46:05Z")
I just keep 3 passwords I use: One for throwaway accounts - the ones I really don’t care about. One for websites that seem insecure (not run by a known company). One for secure websites. And the occasional really-special unique password like for my GMail account, for instance. Easy to remember and not much of a hassle. Also, I never change my passwords. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/11 "2005-10-02T21:06:11Z")
I have four usernames and three passwords distributed more or less randomly amongst various sites. I figure this allows me the best of both worlds: somebody who manages to collect my username and PW from one site is highly unlikely to be able to use them to get into anything else, but if I’m a dumbass and forget my OWN login, I only have to try at most 12 permutations before I get it right. Furthermore, my four usernames are all variations on the same theme, as are my passwords, which makes it unlikely I’ll ever forget what they are; and my passwords are variations on a “word” which makes sense to nobody else in the world but me, so I think I’m safe. ---
**Author:** ![lorinada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5e925/32.png) [@lorinada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorinada)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/12 "2005-10-02T21:53:58Z")
I do a combination of **Misnomer** and **RSSchen** , except that I use notepad instead of excel. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keeping-website-logins-organized/324032/13 "2005-10-02T22:02:36Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Sounds just like PasswordSafe, which is also open source and small enough to keep on a USB drive (and will generate random passwords). What’s the difference between the two apps? I started with an earlier version of Password Safe, and I switched to KeePass because I liked it better. It installs as “KeePass Password Safe”, and it’s essentially a radical upgrade of Password Safe. It’s more flexible and has more functions. It can import databases from Password Safe and a couple of other packages.