Should I Let Google Chrome Save My Passwords?

Whenever you sign into an account in Google Chrome, it asks if you want to save your password. What does this choice mean, and is it safe?

What does it mean for Google Chrome to save your password?

If you choose to have your password saved, Google Chrome will store that password so that the next time you go to sign in, it will fill it in for you. And this isn’t just limited to the device you originally used. Since it is tied to your Gmail account, as long as you are signed into Chrome across your devices, it will sync your passwords across seamlessly. So once you’ve signed into the account once, you won’t have to worry about the password again.

How do I Use It?

Whenever Google Chrome detects that you have signed into an account, it will present you with the “Save password?” box. You can either click on “Save” to record the password you used, or double check it by clicking on the eye icon. From here you can make any changes by simply editing the password in the box. Once you are ready, click “Save” to confirm the info.

If you want to see all of your passwords that Google Chrome has saved, begin by opening Chrome on your computer. From here, click on the three dots in the top right, and in the menu that appears, click on “Settings.” Now, under the heading of “Autofill,” click on “Passwords.”

This will show you a list of all account info you have ever saved in Google Chrome. You can click on the eye icon to show any particular password, or click the three dots to have the options to either edit or delete any given password.

Is it safe?

It’s important to remember that the passwords you save in Chrome are as secure as the device storing them. In other words, if you secure your devices with passwords, the passwords you store in Chrome will be safe. And so if you are using a public computer, you will never want to save any passwords in Chrome, as that will make them as easy to access as the computer itself.

In addition to the security of saved passwords, Google Chrome also works proactively in the event of a data breach. By tracking data breaches which may contain your stolen passwords, and compares the stolen data against your owns. If it finds any matches, meaning that someone has stolen one of your passwords, it will alert you. This allows you to get ahead of the breach, by changing passwords before anyone is able to access your account.

Any Questions?

If you have any more questions about passwords, security, or anything else, then give us a call or email. We can answer your questions, or schedule you a remote or in-person appointment. If you’d like to learn more about Chrome’s password management, you can read more here.