Random Password Generator

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on August 02, 2011

Passwords are the computer user's eternal paradox. If you make a password easy enough to remember, it's likely not very secure. If it's a strong password, you'll be prone to forgetting it--unless you write it on a notepad next to your computer, which again compromises your security. Random Password Generator is an extremely easy-to-use program that can help you create strong passwords and keep them stored securely.

When we first launched Random Password Generator we were prompted to create a master password that would protect the password manager from prying eyes. The program has an intuitive tabbed interface, and we had no trouble getting started. The password generator tab lets you customize your passwords by selecting the length and whether or not to include lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and punctuation. The program can generate up to 100 passwords at a time. Once the passwords were generated, the program let us associate them with particular accounts by entering our username and a note about the name of the account. A colored block next to each entry indicated the strength of each password, a useful feature if you want to evaluate passwords that you're already using. It's easy to get your passwords from the password manager and into your log-in screen, too; the program lets users copy their usernames and passwords so that they can be pasted directly into the desired location. You can also export and print lists of your passwords. Random Password Generator doesn't have a Help file, but that's okay; everything about it is intuitive. Overall, we liked Random Password Generator very much. It's easy enough for just about anyone to use, but it provides an important defense against identity theft, credit card fraud, and other perils of the Internet.

Random Password Generator installs and uninstalls without issues.