This wikiHow teaches you how to create a password that is secure and unique, but still easy to remember.
Step
Step 1. Identify what to avoid
Before deciding what you want to include in your password, there are a few things you shouldn't add:
- Names of pets, family members, or friends
- Words, as they appear in the dictionary (e.g. "rum4=" can be a good choice, but use of the word "house" is not recommended)
- Personal information (eg phone number)
- Public information (eg things related to extracurricular activities undertaken, and easy to find out by others)
- Acronym
Step 2. Get to know the components of a good password
By including all of the following components in the password, it will be more difficult for others to hack it:
- Uppercase and lowercase
- Number
- Symbol
- (Minimum) 12 characters
- Words or phrases that are not easy to decipher or recognize when first seen
Step 3. Try using a generic password strategy
If you don't have your own method for creating a memorable password, you can try one of these methods:
- Delete all vowels and words or phrases (eg "You are all holy I am full of sin" to "klnsmsckpnhds").
- Shift your hand as you type (e.g. use the same gestures you used to type the word “wikiHow”, but lower your hands one line down the keyboard this time).
- Use passwords (eg page numbers, paragraph lines, and words from the book).
- Duplicate the password (eg, type the password, insert a space or separator character, and retype the password entered).
Step 4. Choose a word or phrase that stands out to you
It's possible that you have some words, phrases, titles (e.g. album or song titles), or similar things that stand out to you for some reason. Such words or phrases can form the basis of a good password because they have emotional relevance to you, and not to anyone else.
- For example, you can choose the title of a favorite song from a certain album, or a favorite phrase from a certain book.
- Make sure you don't choose a word or phrase that other people already know as your favorite word/phrase.
Step 5. Define a password strategy
You can apply one of the general password strategies described above (eg removing vowels), or choose your own personal strategy.
Some experts recommend searching and merging several words at random, without modifying the words (eg "bananas, spoons, telephones, pillows, cats")
Step 6. Replace your favorite numbers with letters
If you have a favorite number or two, replace that number with a few words.
Make sure you don't use obvious replacement letters (eg 1 with l, 4 with a, etc.)
Step 7. Add preferred characters to the password
If you have a favorite character on your keyboard, replace a letter with it, or add a character at the beginning of your password to make it easier to remember.
Most services require this step in the password generation process
Step 8. Add an abbreviation for the service that uses the password
For example, if you are creating a password for your work email address, you can insert the phrase "work email" ("srl krj" or something else) at the end of the password. With this insert, you can use the same base password for other services, without repeating the same password.
It's important that you don't use the same password more than once (e.g. don't use your Facebook password as an email account password, etc.)
Step 9. Try duplicating the password
If the password you created is only 8 characters long and your chosen service (eg Facebook) allows you to create a password of 16 or more characters, simply type the password twice.
For added security, press and hold the Shift key while typing the second part of the password (eg "#wkar1n#wkar1n" becomes "#wkar1n#WKAR1N ")
Step 10. Create a variation of the password
While adding an abbreviation at the end of your password helps you remember passwords for certain services, you'll eventually need to change the password you created. If you're comfortable with your current password, try typing it in while holding down the Shift key, or changing some letters to capital letters.
If you replace some letters with numbers, you can convert those numbers back into letters, and replace other letters with numbers
Tips
- If you say letters and numbers when you type your password, you can begin to figure out the rhythm or cadence of the password. With this rhythm, you can remember passwords easily.
- You can combine some of the methods above and get a password that's easy to remember, but still hard to crack.
- The most secure passwords contain lowercase, uppercase, numbers, and symbols. Get into the habit of pressing and holding the “Shift” key for the first four characters, or the third through seventh characters, or whatever sequence you prefer. With this step, you don't have to pause to remember your password.
- When using mnemonic sentences, try to make sentences that are funny or relevant to yourself. With this step, you can remember sentences and passwords that are created more easily.
Warning
- Do not use numbers associated with important records, such as telephone numbers, addresses, and social security cards.
- Do not use any of the passwords shown in this article! Others may see it and guess it is your account password. Try to create your own password.
- Make sure you don't reuse passwords that were previously used. You may be tempted to use a password or two for all login information. However, you must have a different password for each service, especially those related to personal or financial information.
