Getting started with Google Password Manager

If you’re still trying to remember all of your passwords and then type ’em into sites by hand, let me tell you: You’re doing it wrong.

With all the credentials we have to keep track of these days, there’s just no way the human brain can handle the task of storing the specifics — at least, not if you’re using complex, unique passwords that aren’t repeated (or almost repeated, even) from one site to the next. That’s where a password manager comes into play: It securely stores all your sign-in info for you and then fills it in as needed.

While there’s a case to be made for leaning on a dedicated app for that purpose (for reasons we’ll discuss further in a moment), Google has its own password management system built right into Chrome — and also now integrated directly into Android, at the operating system level. And it’s far better to rely on that than to use nothing at all.

Google Password Manager 101

First things first: You shouldn’t have to do anything to turn the Google Password Manager on. The system, once considered part of Google’s Smart Lock feature, works across Android, iOS, ChromeOS, and any other desktop platform where you’re signed into Chrome — and it’s typically activated by default in all of those places.

You’ll see the Password Manager’s prompts for credential-saving pop up anytime you enter your username and password into a site within the Chrome browser. The service will also offer to create complex new passwords for you when you’re signing up for something new. And whenever you return to a site where your credentials have been stored, Smart Lock will automatically fill them in for you — or, when more than one sign-in is associated with a single site, it’ll provide you with the option to pick the account you want to use.

The system is able to sign you into Android apps automatically, too, though it works somewhat sporadically — and you never quite know when it’ll be present. To use Google Password Manager in that way, you’ll need to search your Android device’s system settings for autofill, then:

1. Tap “Autofill service from Google,” tap that same option once more, and confirm that the system is on and active.
2. Return to that same settings search for autofill, tap “Preferred service,” and ensure that “Google” is both active and set to be the preferred service on that screen.

Google Password Manager can also sign you into both websites and apps across iOS, though on that front, you’ll need to manually enable the system by visiting the Passwords section of the iOS Settings app, selecting “Autofill” followed by “Passwords” and “Chrome,” and then turning on the “Autofill” option within that area.

Adjusting your Password Manager setup

If you ever want to look through and edit your stored passwords or adjust your Google Password Manager settings, the easiest thing is to sign into the Google Password Manager web interface at passwords.google.com — in any web browser, on any device you’re using.

There, you can view, edit, or delete any of your saved passwords as well as see and act on any alerts regarding possible security issues with your credentials.

You can also adjust your Google Password Manager preferences by clicking the gear icon in the upper-right corner of that page. It’s worth peeking in there once in a while, as you may find some options that are off by default and advisable to activate — like proactive alerts anytime a password you’ve saved is found to be compromised and on-device encryption for extra protection of any new passwords you save along the way.

That’s also where you can go to export all of your passwords for use in another service, if such a need ever arises.

JR Raphael / IDG

Speaking of which, if you do at some point decide to use a standalone password manager — and we’ll dive into that subject further next — you’ll want to be sure to disable the “Offer to save passwords” and “Auto sign-in” options here to effectively turn Google Password Manager off and keep yourself from seeing confusingly overlapping prompts every time you try to sign in somewhere.

You’ll also want to revisit the related settings on any Android and/or iOS devices you’re using to be sure the new password manager is set to take the place of Google Password Manager in all the appropriate areas.

Google Password Manager vs. the competition

So why is it more advisable to use a dedicated password manager instead of Google Password Manager? Well, a few reasons:

First, dedicated password managers provide broader and more consistent support for storing and filling in passwords across the full spectrum of apps on both your phone and your computer — something most of us need to do quite regularly, especially in a work context. You don’t want to have to go manually look up a password and then copy and paste it over every time you sign into something outside of your browser, and with Google Password Manager, that’s frequently what you end up having to do.

Beyond that, dedicated password managers work seamlessly in any browser you’re using, on any device, instead of being closely connected only to Chrome.

They also tend to come with stronger and more explicit security assurances, and they often offer additional features such as the ability to share your passwords with team members or even external clients (with or without allowing the person to actually see the password in question). They frequently include other useful elements beyond just basic password storage, too, including the ability to securely store different types of notes and documents.

I maintain a collection of recommendations for the best password manager on Android, and my top choice right now is 1Password — which costs $36 a year for an individual subscription, $60 a year for a family membership that includes up to five people, $239-a-year Teams Starter Pack that allows up to 10 company users, or $96 per company user per year. And while my recommendation is technically Android-specific, I take into account the experience the service offers across all platforms, since most of us work across multiple device types. 1Password works equally well on the desktop front as well as on iOS.

If you aren’t going to take the time to mess with a dedicated password manager, though, Google’s built-in system is absolutely the next best thing. And now you know exactly how to use it.

This article was originally published in May 2020 and updated in November 2024.