How to Remember Passwords
To remember a password, think back to any old passwords you may have used, like the name of a pet or relative. Additionally, try entering a number after your usual password, such as 1 or your date of birth. Alternatively, see if the site has a "Forgot your password?" option, which you can click on to request an email or text with a temporary password. Then, reset your password to something that's easy for you to remember. You can also try keeping a notebook with helpful hints that can help you remember the password for each of your accounts.
Make a password from a list of random words. This password is just four or five words in a row, such as "talkdeathplaidhonest ." An old idea popularized by an XKCD comic, this system creates passwords that are easy to remember and quite difficult to guess or attack. The catch is, you must choose the words at random, for example by using a random word generator or flipping through a book. People who choose the words themselves are much more likely to pick certain types of words, which makes the password much easier for a hacker to guess. Take the first letter of each word in a sentence. Create a unique sentence that you find easy to memorize, then use the first letter of each word as a password. Preserve the capitalization and punctuation. A familiar fact or a story from your life is easy to memorize, but avoid simple statements that someone who knows you could guess. A lie about your life is even better, if you can remember it. If you're required to include numbers, replace "to" with "2" and "for" with "4," or come up with a sentence that includes a number. For example, the sentence "It was no fun breaking my tooth when I was 12." becomes "IwnfbmtwIw12." Do not use famous quotes or song lyrics, as some hackers test for this system using a quote database. Come up with a simple rule to adjust passwords to each site. No one wants to memorize dozens of unrelated passwords, but reusing the same one is even worse. One compromise is to start with one "base password," then adjust it with a rule based on account-specific info such as login name or site name. This is not secure if someone is targeting you personally, but it's an easy way to memorize passwords that should survive mass cracking attempts (when hackers are targeting the service's database). For example, let's say your base password is RoM4,5zi,. (You can start with something easier to memorize, but that can make your "rule" more obvious if one password is compromised.) Let's say your rule is "Add the second, fifth, and sixth letters of your login name to the front of your base." On website 1, your login name is "MechaBob." The 2nd, 5th, and 6th letters are eaB, so your password for this site is "eaBRoM4,5zi." On website 2, your login name is "RobertMarshall," Your password here is "ortRoM4,5zi." Write down passwords securely. If you must write your passwords down, keep them in a secret, private location away from your computer. Instead of just writing down your full login info — a disaster if someone finds the notebook — try one of these systems to make them more secure: Keep one notebook with a numbered list of your accounts, e.g. "1. Work Email, 2. Auction Site." Keep a second notebook in a different room with a numbered list of passwords. Write the passwords down in code , such as an alphabet cipher, shifted one key left on the keyboard, or anything else you can come up with. This could delay a thief long enough for you to change your passwords, at least. Instead of writing down passwords, write down hints for yourself. Consider a password manager. After installing a password manager, the software creates and remembers secure passwords for each of your accounts. All you need to do is choose one secure password for the manager — and since this protects everything , this had better be 16 characters long and completely un-guessable. This is much more secure than using the same weak password for every site, but you are creating one point of failure. Services that store your master password in the cloud are more vulnerable to attack. The "remember your password" feature that came with your browser or computer is not a secure password manager. Avoid obvious passwords. Unfortunately, the easiest passwords to memorize are also the easiest to guess. Do not rely on these common techniques: Never use a famous date in your life, the name or initials of yourself or a relative, or other obvious personal details. Even a hacker who doesn't know you may test passwords that follow these common formats. Avoid obvious patterns. "Orange Yellow Green Red" is much easier to guess than "Orange Capture History Dress." Numerical series like "4567" are the worst of all. Obvious substitutions such as 1 for i or $ for S do not increase security, and make your password harder to remember. The only reason to do this is for accounts that require numbers or symbols in the password. Test for quick solutions. Most likely you've already tried these, but make sure you've covered your bases before moving on to technical solutions. As long as your account doesn't limit the number of password attempts, you may as well spend a few minutes on these: Think back to any old passwords you may have had, perhaps involving the names of relatives or pets, birthdays, or common sequences such as "1234" or "qwerty." You may have added a number to the end of your usual password. "1" is a very common choice, as is a significant year (usually the user's birthday). Make sure CapsLock and NumLock are turned off. Contact the service to retrieve your password. Most login screens include a "Forgot your password?" option, which should send you an email or text with a temporary password. Change your new password immediately after logging in. Here are specific instructions for gmail , Instagram , Apple ID , and Hotmail passwords. Use a password cracker. This works best for offline programs, as most online accounts limit you to a few password guesses before locking you out. There are many free options available, including John the Ripper and Ophcrack. Check for other options first. The method below will work on most Windows computers, assuming you have not disabled Sticky Keys. However, it will block your access to all encrypted files and saved passwords on your computer. Consider these OS-specific methods first: Windows XP Vista Windows 7. Boot your computer from a Windows install disc. Insert your Windows install disc, then restart your computer. You may need to wait a short time. Click "Repair your computer. " You may need to select your language first and click Next. Select the operating system to repair, Make a note of the drive the operating system is installed on (usually C or D).  Open Command Prompt. This is on the list of recovery tools. Enter the code to overwrite the Sticky Keys shortcut. Sticky Keys is an accessibility mode enabled when you press Shift five times. Enter this code in the Command Prompt line to rewrite this shortcut for another purpose: Type copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\ and press enter, replacing the "c" with the letter of the drive wherever "c:" appears. Enter copy /y c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe , again using the correct drive letter. Exit command prompt and reboot the computer. Wait for the login screen to load. Tap Shift five times. This will trigger Sticky Keys — except, because of your adjustment, it should open Command Prompt instead. Alter your password. In the Command Prompt window, enter net user followed by your username, then a new password. Type a space in between "user" and your username, and between your username and password. Log in. You should be able to log in to that user account with the password you just set. 
Make a password from a list of random words. Take the first letter of each word in a sentence. Come up with a simple rule to adjust passwords to each site. Write down passwords securely. Consider a password manager. Avoid obvious passwords. Test for quick solutions. Contact the service to retrieve your password. Use a password cracker. Check for other options first. Boot your computer from a Windows install disc. Click "Repair your computer. Select the operating system to repair, Make a note of the drive the operating system is installed on (usually C or D). Open Command Prompt. Enter the code to overwrite the Sticky Keys shortcut. Exit command prompt and reboot the computer. Tap Shift five times. Alter your password. Log in. 