How to create a strong password (2026 guide)

Weak passwords are behind most account takeovers. Here is a practical, up-to-date approach to passwords that the experts actually agree on.

Length beats complexity

NIST now recommends favoring long passphrases over forced complexity. A 20-character random password generated with lowercase, uppercase, digits and symbols is effectively unbreakable with current hardware.

Use a password manager

Let a password manager generate and store random passwords for you, so you only need to memorize one master password. Check our random password generator to see how easy strong passwords are.

Never reuse a password

If one site leaks (and leaks happen constantly), reused passwords open every account you own. A unique password per site contains the damage.

Turn on two-factor authentication

2FA means a stolen password alone is no longer enough. Prefer authenticator apps over SMS whenever possible.

What about passkeys?

Passkeys are the future: they replace passwords with device-bound cryptographic keys and are phishing-proof. Where a site offers passkeys, use them.