Dashlane is my new must-have app, the one I want in my Genealogy Productivity folder always.

I use Dashlane on my desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone. No matter where I am, my passwords are with me.

What Does a Password Manager Do?

Dashlane keeps track of your passwords, automatically logs you in to any website on any of your devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, smartphone on any platform), and never loses passwords. In fact, with your permission, Dashlane can burrow into your browsers and mine them for user names and passwords you might have forgotten.

Dashlane AutoFill

It also autofills forms seamlessly in any browser on any device and eWallet app, all using military-grade encryption. Remember one master password and Dashlane keeps track of the others.

Readers might remember my search for the ideal password manager in the past. If you want to take Dashlane for a spin, use this link to download and get the first six months of Premium free courtesy of Sassy Jane’s Premium subscription.

Other features that distinguish Dashlane from a crowded field:

  • Dashlane notifies you when a Web site has been compromised. (Adobe had a major hack this fall and the only way I heard about it was through Dashlane.)
  • The app also securely stores your payment information and auto-captures receipts from websites when you make online purchases. Once your payment info is encrypted into Dashlane, you can make purchases online with one click to auto-filled the information.
  • Dashlane also can share passwords with other designated users by sending an encrypted email with a three-hour time limit to respond. My husband and I can now share information when we update user names or passwords without writing down the information or sending it in an insecure way.
  • The secure password generator creates strong passwords that adhere to the rules that seem to vary on virtually every site – a real boon if you are in an environment that has strict requirements and/or forces you to change passwords frequently without reusing previous ones.
  • Best of all is the Dashlane Security Dashboard, which generates a score indicating how safe you are online. The score is calculated based on passwords that are weak, used across multiple sites, or are from a site that’s been hacked.

I’ve used several difference password wallet programs over the years and I thought I was doing a pretty good job. The Security Dashboard when I first installed Dashlane gave me a score of 23 percent, which they gently noted was “not so safe.” I worked my way up to “kind of safe” (55 percent), and these days I’m happy to say I’m in the green at 75 percent safe (darn those pesky reused passwords!).

 

Dashlane Is My New Must-Have App

Have a password manager you like? Stick with it. But David Pogue, the NY Times tech reviewer gave Dashlane a rave and you might be pleasantly surprised by the great features.

If you want to take Dashlane for a spin, use this link to download. And click here for other genealogy things I like.