You hear it all the time, “Don’t share your password with anyone.” But this isn’t always realistic, as there may be times when you need to share your password. This is especially common within organizations where teams have shared access to various accounts and software. In the instance where you have to share a password, be sure to take all measures available to help you share a password safely.

Reasons To Share a Password

There are certain reasons to share a password, and it usually involves sharing one account with another person. This may be sharing a password with a friend or partner, but it may also mean sharing a password with a colleague. When others need to have access to your account, it’s important that they get the password in a secure way. Instances where someone needs to get a password passed to them include:

  • A couple with both parties needing to access an account, such as a mortgage or utility bill. Both are responsible for managing and paying the account and need to access it with ease.
  • Family members needing access to a parent’s account for estate planning or emergency purposes. When someone dies, their family members may need access accounts to help close them out and give the parties involved the information about the person’s passing, hospitalization or incarceration.
  • Business employees who share access to one account, such as a social media account. Many people may be responsible for managing and updating the account and will need access to the account.

How To Share Passwords Securely

It may take a little extra effort to share a password securely, but it is well worth the energy. Here are the ways you can share a password securely.

Use a Password Manager

Password managers are programs where you enter and store required passwords. The information is held in secret and is used when you are logging in to an account. This is perfect for those who share passwords on the same machine. Not only does a password manager securely store your passwords, but it also helps generate a new one that is strong and unique. For more information, check out the top password managers.

Use Cloud Storage

When you use cloud storage, the data is encrypted before it is uploaded to the cloud. This helps keep it secure. Additionally, the password is only visible to people who are given access to the cloud file as a shared folder or document. This means you can control who has permission to access the file and see the password.

Use Online Project Management Tools

Project management tools such as monday.com help you keep data private. These tools are a good way for team members to access necessary passwords and open the accounts they need to when they need to. Not only do these programs store data privately, but they also have file-sharing features that encrypt the shared data to keep it secure.

Sharing Passwords Between Apple Devices

Your Apple devices have a way to share passwords securely between them. This is done through Settings, where you click on Passwords. This opens the password vault. When you access the vault, you’ll need to use your Face ID or Touch ID to verify your personal authorization. Select the password you wish to share and click the Share button. The device will then use AirDrop to select a device with which the password should be shared.

Sharing Wi-Fi Passwords

Normally, when you need to share a Wi-Fi password, you need to go to the device and flip it to the back so you can read the complex password of letters, numbers and special characters. There’s an easier way to do this using a device already connected to the network. Both devices must have their respective Apple IDs saved to their personal Contacts. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi must be switched on with the device unlocked. While the sending device is connected to the network, have the new device start the connection process. The connected device will receive a prompt asking if it wants to share a password. Select this, and the password is shared.

How Not To Share Passwords

When learning how to share a password safely, it is key to also know how not to share passwords. There are some common ways to share a password that you should avoid in order to maintain its security, such as sharing via email, text or even writing it down and keeping it near the computer or within your workspace.

Here are the key things not to do when sharing passwords:

  • Do not share via email
  • Do not share via text message
  • Do not write it down and keep it in plain sight

Bottom Line

Limit the people you share passwords with to only those who absolutely need the contact information. Make sure that you trust this person to keep the password secure as well. You don’t want to take security measures only to have someone else make your passwords accessible and hackable.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is it safe to share a password via email?

Emails are not encrypted and are not a safe way to send a password. If you are hacked, and someone intercepts the email, your password will be compromised.

Is it safe to share my passwords with others?

As a general rule, don’t share your password with other people. If you must share it, make sure that you trust the person to whom you are giving access to your accounts.

Are shared passwords more easily hacked?

The more a password is shared, the easier it is to hack the account. You can’t control every action that a person takes on another computer, and if someone has the password and chooses to log in on an unprotected computer, you could have the password compromised.

Are password managers safe?

Password management services are typically safe. They protect your data through a series of strong, hard-to-guess passwords across all accounts, all managed in one place. The data is typically encrypted in a central vault and, although hacking isn’t impossible, it’s extremely rare. The best products are designed to keep your information safe and, provided you are mindful of who has access to your manager, you should be able to enjoy a far more secure online experience.