You should never let Chrome store your passwords. If a hacker has access to your computer, or you were infected with a botnet-type trojan, rest assured that both then your computer password and the rest of your logins would be exposed.
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To avoid that, export your passwords from Chrome and use a secure password manager instead.
When you export your passwords, Chrome produces a CSV file which lists all of the usernames and passwords you saved for each website. You can save this file onto your computer, but make sure you treat it with extreme ‘Burn After Reading’ caution. You really don’t want this information getting into the wrong hands.
Here’s how to export your passwords from Chrome
Export passwords from Chrome
Open Chrome. Click on the 3-dot icon in the toolbar and select ‘Settings’.
Click on ‘Passwords’.
Look for the section called ‘Saved Passwords’. Click on the 3-dot icon next to it. A drop- down menu will appear. Click ‘Export Passwords’.
Before you can export your passwords, you need to type in your computer password. Press ‘OK’ once you’ve typed it in.
Chrome will now ask you where you want to save the file containing all of your passwords. Choose a location and click ‘Save’.
Congratulations! You have successfully exported your passwords from Chrome. You can now use this file to import your passwords into a secure password manager like NordPass. Remember to destroy the file permanently afterwards.
Disabling the Chrome password manager
There’s also a handy option to disable Chrome’s inbuilt password manager. Once disabled, Chrome will stop remembering or auto-filling any of your saved usernames and passwords as long as you use a secure password manager instead.
Open Chrome. Click on the 3-dot icon in the toolbar and then click on ‘Settings’.
Click on ‘Passwords’.
You will now see two options: ‘Offer to save passwords’ and an option to disable ‘Auto Sign-in’. Turn the blue toggle switches off to disable both.
Great! You’ve now successfully disabled Chrome’s password manager. Chrome will no longer remember your passwords and will stop auto-filling them on websites you visit.
Why you should never store your passwords in Chrome
Today we have passwords for just about everything, and remembering them all is virtually impossible, especially when they’re complex. Besides, nobody wants to type in their password manually either – not when a handy auto-fill feature can do all the hard work for you. But when a web browser like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox is allowed to save your passwords, you’re putting your security at risk.
There’s a very good reason we warn against trusting browsers with your passwords. If you were infected with a botnet trojan, for example, an attacker could have access to all of your passwords without your knowledge. In fact, they could be available to buy on the dark-web as we speak. All an attacker needs to access the passwords saved in your browser is your computer password. And if you enjoy an easy life, you probably use the easiest, most memorable password. Even an onlooker like a colleague or a stranger at an airport could watch you type it in and, if they ever got hold of your device, there’s no telling what chaos they could cause.
Using NordPass to secure your passwords
The best way to avoid any of this is to stop letting your browser store your passwords. We already showed you how easy it is to export your passwords from Chrome into a CSV file – all you need as identification is your device password. It’s also worth noting that certain types of trojans can install malware onto your device in order to steal files, so bear that in mind when you keep that CSV file stored on your device.
NordPass is a secure way to store your usernames, passwords, and credit card details. It auto-fills forms and can even generate random, complex passwords to meet the requirements of different websites. As one of the world’s most secure password managers, NordPass relies on the powerful XChaCha20 encryption algorithm to create your very own password vault, which you can sync and access across unlimited devices. With one master password you have access to all your precious logins, which are encrypted before they leave your device. So if your device was to ever get stolen or someone happened to discover your computer password, your accounts would still be safe from hackers.
Get NordPass for Free
You can Get NordPass for Free. For life. The free NordPass account lets you save unlimited passwords, secure notes, and your credit card details. With NordPass, you can autosave and autofill your passwords easily, generate strong passwords to make them extra difficult to crack and rest easy, knowing your passwords are protected with top level encryption. Why not try it now?
Get rid of password stress forever with a free NordPass account.