How to Create a Strong Password

Length beats complexity

Attackers guess passwords by trying enormous numbers of combinations. Every extra character multiplies the work, so a long random password is far stronger than a short one full of symbols. Aim for at least 16 characters for important accounts.

Generate it

1. Open the Password Generator.
2. Set the length to 16 or more and keep upper case, lower case, digits and symbols ticked. Tick Avoid look-alikes if you will ever type it by hand.
3. Copy it into your password manager.

Passwords come from your browser's secure random generator and are never sent anywhere.

Use a different password everywhere

When one website is breached, attackers try the leaked email and password on other sites. A unique password for every account stops one breach turning into many. A password manager (the one built into your browser or phone works) remembers them for you.

Passwords you must remember

For the few you type from memory, such as your computer login or password manager, a passphrase of four or five unrelated random words is long, strong and easier to recall than a jumble of characters.

Turn on two-factor authentication

An authenticator app or security key means a stolen password alone is not enough to get in.