HOW TO USE LASTPASS

Here we go into more detail on how to use Lastpass. Many of the features we cover here are available in other password managers, so even if you don’t use Lastpass you should learn something useful.

Setting up a Lastpass account

Before you can start using Lastpass you need to sign up for an account. Go to www.snipca.com/24829 then fill in your email address. To ensure your Lastpass account is secure it’s important that the master password you create is complex, yet memorable (see the ‘Create your master password’ box, right).

Type this into the Master Password field, tick the ‘I agree to the Lastpass terms’ box, then click Continue. Note, there’s little point setting a password reminder if you’ve followed our instructions because it should be random. Next, re-enter your master password when prompted to confirm it, then click Confirm to see a message congratulating you on your new account.

Import passwords from your browsers

Now you need to install the Lastpass extension in any browsers you use and import all the passwords you’ve already saved on your PC. Most of these will have been saved in your browsers, though you may also have passwords saved in a spreadsheet or another password manager.

The Lastpass Universal Windows Installer ( www.snipca.com/24831, see screenshot below) installs browser extensions and imports your passwords. Click Download to the right of the installer, then double-click the downloaded file. When the installer opens, click Advanced Options then select the browsers you want to add extensions to by ticking the relevant boxes. We also suggest – to safeguard your privacy – you untick ‘Send anonymous error reporting to help improve Lastpass’.

Once you’ve made your selections, click Install Lastpass, then ‘Log In to Existing Account’, enter your email address and password, then click Log In. The installer will now search for existing passwords on your PC. Click Import to add them to Lastpass.

Microsoft Edge isn’t included in the browser options here. To add the Lastpass extension to Edge, go to www.snipca. com/24838 in Edge, then click ‘Get the App’ to open the Microsoft Store. Click Get to download the extension, then Launch. Next, open Edge and you’ll see a

‘You have a new extension’ pop-up message. Click ‘Turn it on’ to enable it.

To pin the Lastpass icon to Edge’s address bar, click the three horizontal dots at the top right, Extensions, then right-click Lastpass followed by ‘Show button next to the address bar’.

To sign into your extensions, open the relevant browser, click the Lastpass icon (see screenshot below left), then enter your email address and password. Your browser’s Lastpass icon will change from grey to red to show you’re signed in. To see your newly populated password vault, click the Lastpass icon, then click My Vault.

Import passwords from other sources

To import passwords from another password manager or spreadsheet, click the Lastpass icon in your browser, ‘More options’, Advanced, then Import (Chrome users will need to click Other before Import). When the Lastpass Import web page opens, click the Source dropdown menu, choose the relevant source from the list, then click Upload.

If you need to import passwords saved on a spreadsheet, open the spreadsheet, copy and paste the contents into Notepad, then copy and paste from here into the Content field. Finally, click Upload. For more information on importing passwords, visit www.snipca. com/24840.

At some point you’ll need to add new online accounts to Lastpass. You can use Lastpass to generate a secure password that is then saved to your vault. When you come to create your password, click the small padlock icon in the password field (see screenshot below right) to open Lastpass’ password generator.

The generator should be set to 12-digit passwords by default (if not, select 12 using the Password Length dropdown menu). Next, click More Options (Chrome) or Show Advanced Options (Edge), tick all four boxes, then click Fill (Chrome) or Use Password (Edge).

Continue setting up the account as normal. When you first sign in you’ll see a pop-up message at the top of the browser window that says ‘Add to Lastpass?’ (Chrome) or ‘Should Lastpass remember this password?’ (Edge) – click Add or Save Site to save the account to your vault. Note that some websites won’t display the padlock icon. If this is the case, click the Lastpass extension icon, Generate Secure Password, Copy Password, then paste it into the password field on the website.