You can use the Password Generator to create strong passwords or passphrases for all your logins. When you create or update a login, Dashlane can generate and save a complex password or passphrase to give your account as much protection as possible. You can also use the Password Generator to generate passwords or passphrases with specific length and complexity requirements.
Video: Generate a password or passphrase using Dashlane
Important: The ability to generate passphrases is available on the web version and the Dashlane browser extension. Passphrases will be available on the mobile and macOS apps in the future.
How does Dashlane measure password strength?
Cybercriminals use computers to guess passwords. The computers run brute-force attacks, which try many possible passwords until one works.
Dashlane considers a password weak if someone can guess the password with little effort. Dashlane checks password strength against more than 30,000 common passwords, dictionary words, names, keyboard patterns, dates, and more.
Dashlane uses an open-source algorithm called ZXCVBN. Most password-strength meters use ZXCVBN too. The algorithm looks for patterns that cybercriminals use to guess passwords.
ZXCVBN assigns each password a strength score from 0 to 4. The strongest score is 4, and a password with a score of 2 or lower is weak.
If you don't want to use the generated password or passphrase, you can manually enter any password you want.
Add logins to Dashlane
Change a password in Dashlane
Generate a password or passphrase when you create or update an account for a website
You can use Dashlane to create and store secure, unique passwords or passphrases for every login. You can also update an existing password.
You need to install the Dashlane browser extension for Safari to generate passwords or passphrases for websites in Safari.
- Go to a website and select the new password field when creating or updating your password.
- In the pop-up, select Use generated password. In the same pop-up, select the customization icon, shown as three horizontal lines with circles. The full Password Generator opens, giving you the option to generate a password or a passphrase. You can select password as the type and then change the length and type of characters you want to use. You can also select passphrase as the type and then select the length of the passphrase.
View: To view the generated password or passphrase, select Show, shown as an eye icon.
Generate: To generate a new password or passphrase, select the circling arrows icon next to the current password or passphrase.
Customize: You can choose the length of the password or passphrase. For the password, you can choose whether it contains letters, numbers, or symbols. You can also choose not to include characters that resemble each other, such as "1" and "l."
Save: In the pop-up, select Save for the newly added login. You can also update a login with a new password or passphrase, or create a new login for a website.
Edit the password or passphrase you saved
Note: If Dashlane doesn't automatically update your newly generated password in your vault, log out and then log back in to the website where you changed the password. After Dashlane detects a successful login, a pop-up appears asking if you want to update this information in your vault.
Generate a password or passphrase when you add a login in Dashlane
Generate a password or passphrase in the web version
When you add a new login in the web version, select the Generate password icon, shown as a speech bubble.
Generate a password in the iPhone app
If you haven't added any logins, select Vault in the Dashlane iPhone app bottom menu.
All item types appear in a bar near the top. Select Logins and then select Add login.
You can also select the plus (+) icon in the top right of the Vault screen.
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On the New item screen, select Add login.
- Select, search for, or enter the website's name.
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On the Add a login screen, select the Password Generator icon, shown as a speech bubble, to generate a strong, unique password. You can customize the generated password as needed.
- Select Use this password.
- Select the checkmark in the top right of the screen to save the login. Dashlane adds the new login to your vault.
If Dashlane doesn't automatically update your newly generated password in your vault, you need to edit your login manually.
Generate a password in the Android app
To generate a password in the Android app, access the Password Generator when you add a new login to Dashlane. Next to the Password field, select the Generate icon, shown as a speech bubble.
Select Use password when you approve of the password.
If Dashlane doesn't automatically update your newly generated password in your vault, you need to manually edit your login.
Generate a password in the Dashlane macOS app
To generate a password in the Dashlane macOS app, select Password Generator in the Tools section.
You also see the generator when you add a new login to Dashlane.
Important: If you use the Dashlane app for macOS, autofill works only with logins already in your vault. When you create a login or change a password on a website, add or update the login in your vault. To use all autofill features, install the Dashlane extension for Safari.
Install the Dashlane browser extension in Safari
Generate a password or passphrase in the extension
- Select the Dashlane D icon in your browser’s toolbar and enter your Master Password if prompted. In the extension pop-up, select the Generator tab.
- Choose the password length and specify whether it includes letters, numbers, or symbols. You can select password as the type and then change the password length. You can also choose not to include characters that resemble each other, such as "1" and "l." You can also select passphrase as the type and then select the length of the passphrase.
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To generate a new password or passphrase, select the circling arrows icon next to the current password or passphrase.
If you change the generator settings, you can save the settings. Select Save as default to automatically use these settings to generate any password or passphrase in this tab or directly on web pages.
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After you've generated the password or passphrase you need, select Copy and paste the password or passphrase where you need it.
View a list of all your generated passwords or passphrases
Password history isn't currently available in our macOS app. For more access to our features and tools, you can install the Dashlane browser extension for Safari.
Install the Dashlane browser extension in Safari
You can view previously generated passwords or passphrases.
In the Generator tab of the extension pop-up, select Show history to view a list of the last 20 generated passwords or passphrases.
In the web version, select View history in your vault to view the passwords or passphrases that have been generated and changed over time.
In the Android and iPhone apps, access the Password Generator and select the clock with a circling arrow icon to view previously generated passwords or passphrases.
View an individual password or passphrase in password history
Depending on where you view the password history, you can view an individual password or passphrase in one of two ways. For example, in the iPhone app, select the dots that conceal the password or passphrase. In the extension pop-up and Android app, select Show, shown as an eye icon.
Find any password or passphrase that Dashlane generated on a website
Want to generate unique usernames and social media handles? Check out our username generator
Want more password tips? Visit our blog post on how to determine if you have a strong password
More about password strength
Use our Password Generator in your web browser