With the help of a primary password (formerly known as a master password), you can lock your saved logins in Firefox. How can you enable a primary password, and how can you remove it after enabling it? Let’s find out below.
Why Should You Use a Primary Password?
A safe way to create, store, and manage passwords is to use a password manager. Saving password in Firefox is not a good practice because it is not safe. Anybody can see and copy your saved passwords from Firefox by just going into Settings > Privacy & Security and clicking Saved Logins on your computer.
But if you must save your usernames and passwords in Firefox because you don’t want to use a password manager, using a primary password can protect your saved Firefox passwords on your PC. With a primary password enabled, you will require to enter your primary password for each Firefox session when you access your saved passwords for logging into your favorite websites.
A primary password is not synced between profiles and devices, and never leaves your device or profile. In case you use more than one profile or device, those will require a separate primary password. And a primary password works only on the desktop version of Firefox. You cannot use it on mobile devices.
How to Set a Primary Password in Firefox
Firefox doesn’t ask you to use a primary password by default. You have to set a primary password to lock saved usernames and passwords.
Here is the step-by-step process:
Go to the menu button (three parallel lines) in the upper right corner of Firefox to open the menu panel. Then, click on Passwords.
Once you’re in the Passwords section, click on the Three dots in the upper right side to access the Firefox logins menu. Then, click on Options (or Preferences on some versions).
When you click on Options, Firefox Settings Privacy & Security panel opens to the Logins and Passwords section.
Click on the Use a Primary Password box, and the Primary Password dialogue will open, which will allow you to set a new primary password.
When you enter a primary password, Password quality meter will tell your primary password’s strength. After entering and re-entering a strong password, click on the OK button to save it.
Close the Firefox window, and your changes will be automatically applied.
You must remember your primary password to access saved usernames and passwords for autofilling. If you have forgotten your primary password, you cannot access your saved Firefox logins.
How to Create a Strong Primary Password That You Can Remember
You should use a strong primary password in Firefox to prevent anyone from guessing it. But you should also create it in a way that helps you remember it so that you don’t need to write it down somewhere.
Writing passwords in a text file on your computer is a bad practice as doing so weakens the security of your saved login credentials, regardless of how complex your primary password is.
The following is a simple trick to create a memorable but strong password:
For example, you like the following sentence said by Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie.
To create a strong password out of this sentence, you can:
Remove the first letter of every word and replace it with ascending numbers Make the last letter of every word upper case Add @ at the beginning and # at the last of the sentence Remove the space among words
“There is always hope” translates into @1herE2S3lwayS4opE#, a super strong password.
How to Change Your Primary Password in Firefox
Like any other password, you can change your primary password.
Here are quick steps:
Click the menu button (three parallel lines in the upper right corner of Firefox) to access the menu panel Click Passwords, then go into the Firefox logins menu (three dots) in the upper right side of Firefox. When you click on Options in the Firefox logins menu, the Firefox Settings Privacy & Security panel will open. And you will see the Logins and Passwords section in the right sidebar. Click on the Change Primary Password option, and follow the on-screen instructions to change your primary password.
How to Remove Your Primary Password in Firefox
The process to remove a primary password in Firefox is simple. But you will need to enter your Firefox primary password to remove it.
Here are quick steps to remove a primary password:
Go into the Firefox menu (Three parallel lines in the upper right corner) Click on Passwords. Firefox will ask you to submit your primary password. Go into the Firefox logins menu (Three dots at the upper right side), and click on Options. The Firefox Settings Privacy & Security tab will open to Logins and Passwords. Click on the Use a Primary Password box, and the Remove Primary Password dialogue will open. Enter your primary password, and click on the OK button to remove your primary password.
How to Reset a Firefox Primary Password
If you don’t remember your primary password, then you will have to reset it. But you must know that resetting your primary password will remove all of your saved usernames and passwords.
Copy and paste the following in the Firefox address bar, and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
The Reset Primary Password window will appear. Click on the Reset button, and your primary password will be reset.
Protect Your Logins and Passwords With a Primary Password in Firefox
Anyone with access to your PC can see and copy your saved logins and passwords in Firefox if you haven’t enabled a primary password.
With growing incidents of identity thefts, it is imperative that you should set a primary password to protect your saved logins and passwords in Firefox. Even after activating a primary password, saving login credentials in Firefox is not advisable. You should think about using a good password manager for optimum password security.
