This approach seems alluring at first, but like all “quick fixes,” its inherent security flaws eventually come to bite the user. Thankfully, you can quickly resolve this problem of password management with a strong and secure password manager. In this article, we’ll focus on installing and using a password manager called Dashlane on your Windows computer
How to Install Dashlane on Windows
Launched on May 23, 2012, Dashlane is a password manager that aims to make your online experience hassle-free. It achieves this by eliminating the need for remembering multiple passwords. Instead, it stores your passwords across all your devices, backed with a strong focus on user privacy and security.
For Windows users, Dashlane is available both as a web app and as a Windows app. However, due to a steady and silent shift in the internet world, companies now provide a web-first experience. As such, Dashlane has decided to follow suit and adopt a web-first experience too.
How to Use Dashlane on the Web
To access Dashlane through the web app, you’ll first have to install the browser extension. So, go to the official Dashlane website, and it’ll take you straight to your browser’s web store. In our example, we’re using Chrome, so the website takes us to the Chrome Web Store. You may see something different, depending on your choice of browser.
The extension download procedure is almost similar for all browsers. Add the extension to your web browser, and you’ll be ready in a few seconds. As soon as the download finishes, the extension will take you to the Dashlane login page.
Enter your email address and add a strong password. Next, click on Create My Account to finalize your Dashlane account. From there, click on Jump into App to get started with using Dashlane.
How to Save Passwords on Dashlane
Now that you’ve installed the extension and registered let’s get you started with saving your first password. Click on Add your first password as you browse to get started. Pick any website you frequently visit.
From here on, setting up a password for a website involves a simple three-step procedure:
Open the website where you want to change the password.
Login with your email and password (Logout first if you’re already logged in).
Click on Save when you get a pop-up from Dashlane.
And that’s it. As you use the internet, you’ll slowly accrue a database of all the account details you use regularly. Eventually, Dashlane will save all your different passwords in a single, secure place.
No, you don’t have to do this right away. Instead, take it one step at a time—keep saving your passwords every time you visit a new site that you haven’t saved on Dashlane, and you’ll be done in no time.
When you’ve successfully saved a password, you’ll get a Dashlane pop-up. Click on See it in Dashlane to go to the passwords page.
Also, you’ll need to create a Master password. In a nutshell, it’s a single password necessary for accessing all of your other passwords stored on a password manager such as Dashlane.
To create a master password, close the Dashlane app and log out of the browser. Now, log in again and click on the Dashlane extension located in the top-right of your browser. Next, enter your registered email address and the six-digit security code sent to your email. Set your master password here and click on Log in.
Store this master password somewhere safe, as this will be your only way to access your Dashlane passwords from now.
Scroll down and select the Open the web app option from the extension to get back to the Dashlane web app. Navigate to the Passwords tab, and you’ll see your saved password here. As you can see, we have added a Facebook and Google account password already. Dashlane will keep storing your new passwords here as you keep logging into the websites you frequent.
How to Generate New Passwords With Dashlane
Now that you’ve got Dashlane set up with your accounts, it’s time to learn how to use it to secure your internet identity. If you’re using the same password across all of your accounts, a password manager won’t save you. However, it can make it easier to create strong passwords that you don’t need to remember.
You can use Dashlane’s password generator in one of two ways. First, you can invoke it while making a new account when the sign-up process asks you to set a password. Or, you can use it when you’re changing the password on an account you’ve already set up.
To get a new password, click on the Dashlane icon in the extensions bar and select Generator. Dashlane will have already created a strong password for you to use, so click Copy and paste it into the website’s password field.
The generated password will be a random jumble of letters and characters, so it’ll seem impossible to memorize. However, now that Dashlane remembers and fills in passwords for you, you don’t need to remember them anymore. As such, all you need to do is tell Dashlane to save this new password, and it’ll do the remembering for you. So now you have super-strong passwords without needing to remember any of them.
And that’s all about storing your passwords on the Dashlane web app. Of course, the process of setting up Dashlane will be similar on other browsers as well. However, if you’re looking for step-by-step instructions, you can check out this neat guide created by Dashlane.
Apart from password management, Dashlane offers other mint features as well. Dark web monitoring, password health checker, autofilling, secure notes, and other similar features make Dashlane a handy all-in-one choice.
How to Use Dashlane as a Windows 10 App
Apart from the web app, you can also run the Dashlane app on your Windows computer. At least for now, as Dashlane plans to end the desktop support somewhere at the end of 2021. But till then, you can safely access Dashlane on your Windows. Here’s how you can get started:
Download the Dashlane application from the official Dashlane website. Launch the installer. Let it download and install the app. Once it’s done, click on Get Started to set a new account. If you already have one, select I already have an account. Enter your email address and create the master password.
Now add the Dashlane app to your browser. This app enables the autofill feature on your browser as you type in your email and passwords.
With the installation of the application, you’re all set to run the Dashlane app on your Windows. However, we’d recommend that you stay away from the app to avoid any security and bugs issues due to its upcoming end of support.
Making the Most Out of Dashlane
Dashlane is one of the better password managers out there in the tech security and productivity sphere. And, if you’re a Windows user looking to make your password management less stressful, you can’t go wrong with Dashlane. In addition, it’s available on all popular mobile platforms like iOS and Android, so you can also connect your other devices with your account.
But, it would be wrong to say that Dashlane is the only game in town, especially with LastPass deciding to continue the support for desktop applications.
