Password managers are really useful, but many of them take a surprising amount of liberties with the data you transfer from them. If you copy the password to your most secure account onto your clipboard, it will remain there eternally and may be accessed from any programme on your phone, computer, or even remotely. You may send the text to such programmes without pasting it in.

Fortunately, this security risk may be eliminated with a ten-second adjustment to your settings. It’s as easy as:

• Launch the password manager’s add-on for your web browser, mobile app, or computer.
• Locate the “clipboard expiration” or “clipboard clearing” option in the device’s configuration menu.
• If “Never” or “Off” is the current setting, you should choose a more practical time frame. This may already be taken care of by your password manager, in which case you may modify the time limit to meet your requirements.
  Shown on the left are some sample preferences from the mobile applications of Bitwarden (middle) and Keeper (centre) and NordPass (right); the settings for the browser extensions are almost similar. Two of the three include settings that ensure the clipboard is always saved.

As soon as possible after setting up the password manager is when you should do this. Thus far in 2023) one thing has become abundantly clear: we need more stringent security measures. A reliable password manager is a key component in protecting your privacy, and its efficacy is largely dependent on how you set it up and how you use it. While it’s impossible to completely prevent data breaches (like the massive ones we’ve read about lately at Twitter and Experian), you can take steps to limit the harm they do.

After you’ve gotten established in, don’t forget to use your password manager to its full potential. Our advice may help you improve your password security and make your online experience more secure. Despite the fact that the landscape is always changing, these tried-and-true methods remain your best bet.