Bitwarden is a universal password manager for all platforms

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It's more convenient than KeePass, and free, unlike LastPass.

Bitwarden is a very easy to use yet functional password manager that has clients for all platforms. He can easily compete in capabilities with such giants as LastPass and 1Password.

But unlike them, it is completely open source and does not ask for money. Bitwarden also uses strong end-to-end encryption, so no one but you can access your passwords.

Beginning of work

Clients are available for Windows, macOS and Linux. Download, install and open Bitwarden. First of all, the app will prompt you. It's completely free, and the developers promise that it will continue to be so.

Bitwarden does not limit the number of usernames and passwords you can store in it, and its versions are free on all platforms.

However, a premium subscription is also available. It costs $ 10 a year and provides 1GB of file storage (useful if you decide to use Bitwarden for notes), advanced two-factor authentication, and priority tech support. For an ordinary user, the premium mode of the program will be of little use.

If you do not trust your passwords to some third-party service, nothing prevents you from storing them with you. To do this, you will need your own home server (based on a Raspberry Pi, for example). Just install on it.

Adding records

After a new database opens in front of you, you can begin to enter your logins and passwords there. To do this, click the "+" button at the bottom of the list.

In addition to the username and password, you can add a name and URL to the post and add your own custom note. Records are sorted into folders, however, you cannot attach one folder to another.

Bitwarden allows you to store not only credentials, but also bank card information, personal information (such as name, address, phone number) and secure notes.

A separate nice feature of this program is that it can check whether your password has been compromised. Safe combinations not recorded in the leaked databases are marked with a tick.

Importing passwords

If you are moving to Bitwarden from a different password manager, you do not have to transfer all data and combinations manually. The program supports import and export functions and can accept passwords from a huge number of other applications and browsers - LastPass, 1Password, Blur, Chrome, Dashlane, Enpass, Firefox, KeePass, Opera, PassKeep, RoboForm, Vivaldi and Zoho.

To import the information you want from a third-party manager, open the Bitwarden web client, select where you want to transfer the records from, and follow the instructions.

Autocomplete data

Bitwarden, as befits any self-respecting password manager, is able not only to enter your credentials when logging into accounts, but also to automatically fill in empty fields in registration forms.

To do this, create a new record in your storage in the "Personality" format and leave in it all the information about yourself that you deem necessary - name, surname, address, passport number, and so on.

Now open the registration form on any site, click on the Bitwarden extension icon in the browser bar and select your entry. And the application will enter all the data for you. Comfortable!

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication can significantly improve the security of your password database. To enable it, open the Bitwarden web client and go to the "Two-factor authentication" section. Select a user recognition method and click Enable, then follow the instructions.

The free version of Bitwarden allows you to connect an authenticator app to your account (any for Android, iOS or Windows is suitable) or offers to send you one-time codes by email. This will suit most users.

Premium customers can also opt for exotic two-factor authentication methods such as SMS, phone call, YubiKey OTP, U2F or FIDO U2F. If these tricky words don't tell you anything, then you don't really need a premium either.

Integration into browsers

Bitwarden has extensions for all more or less popular browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Vivaldi, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Tor and Brave. Programs can work fine even if you don't have a desktop client installed on your computer (unlike KeePass, for example).

With the help of the extension, you can automatically search for and substitute credentials on sites, view the contents of your storage, and generate hack-resistant passwords.

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Mobile clients

Versions for Android and iOS look simple, but they cope with their tasks. Mobile Bitwarden can be easily unlocked with a fingerprint sensor. In addition to displaying and editing the password database, the application can also generate strong passwords and automatically fill out forms.

Bitwarden mobile autocomplete works well with mobile browsers such as Chrome and Firefox. Open any site where you are registered and click on the login field. You will be prompted to enter data automatically.

Bitwarden - Password Manager 8bit Solutions LLC