How to share a password safely

Start by asking whether you need to share it at all

The safest password is the one you never hand over. Many services have a better option than sharing your own login:

• Invite the person to the account with their own email address and a role that fits (viewer, editor, member).
• Create a guest account or a guest network instead of giving out the main password.
• Use a family or team plan that includes shared items with separate logins.
• Use temporary access, such as an expiring link, a one-time code or a device approval prompt.

Shared logins make it impossible to tell who did what, and you cannot remove one person without changing the password for everyone.

Option 1: use a password manager’s sharing feature

Most password managers can share an item with another user of the same manager. The other person receives the entry inside the app, you can usually revoke access later and the password never travels through a chat. If you and the other person already use a manager, this is the best choice for anything lasting, such as a streaming account or a shared bank portal.

Option 2: a short-lived, one-time message

When the other person does not use your manager, or you only need to share it once, an expiring message is much safer than a chat message. With the online clipboard:

1. Paste the password into the Send text box.
2. Set the expiry to 10 minutes.
3. Switch on delete after first view, so the text disappears when it has been opened once.
4. Optionally, add a password or passphrase. The text is then encrypted in your browser before it is sent, so even the server only stores unreadable data.
5. Save it and send only the 6-digit code.

If you used a passphrase, give it by another route, for example by phone, so that no single message contains everything needed to read the clip. Even without a passphrase, a clip that disappears after one view is far better than a message that stays in a chat for years.

Option 3: say it, or hand it over in person

For a one-time guest use, speaking the password over a call or showing it face to face works well. Spell out unusual characters (“capital A, seven, dash”) and ask the person to read it back. Avoid speaking passwords in busy public places, where others can hear, and avoid speaker phone.

Ways that are best avoided

• Email: messages are stored on several servers and in several inboxes, often for years.
• Group chats and shared channels: many people can see them, and the history is searchable.
• Photos and screenshots: they sync to cloud galleries and backups.
• Notes apps that sync to shared devices: they leave a permanent copy.
• Writing it on a sticky note on the monitor: easy for a visitor to photograph.

If you already sent a password by one of these routes, treat it as exposed and change it when you can.

Make a shared password better

• Do not reuse it. A password shared for one site must not be the one you use anywhere else.
• Make it long. Four or five random words, or a long generated string, are stronger than a short complicated one.
• Turn on two-step verification for the account, so a leaked password alone is not enough.
• Write down who has it, so you know whom to inform when you change it.
• Change it afterward if you shared it for a limited reason, such as a visit, a project or a repair.

For Wi-Fi and devices

Wi-Fi passwords have their own good options, including a guest network and QR sharing, explained in the guide to sharing a Wi-Fi password. If you sign in on a computer that is not yours, read the guide to copying text to a public computer safely so the password is not left behind.

A short checklist

1. Can I give the person their own login instead?
2. If not, can I share it from a password manager?
3. If not, can I use a one-time, expiring message and send the code separately?
4. Will I change the password when the person no longer needs it?

If the answer to the last question is yes, even an imperfect route to share it becomes much less risky.