Guide · Security
How Do I Generate a Secure Password?
A secure password is long (think 16+ characters for everyday accounts), random (not a predictable pattern), and uses mixed characters when the site allows—length and unpredictability matter more than clever dictionary words. Generate one instantly with ConvertPal’s free Password Generator; it runs in your browser and never uploads your secret.
What Makes a Password Secure?
Length is the first lever: every extra character multiplies the number of guesses an attacker must try. Well-run sites store only salted hashes, but offline cracking still gets harder as passwords grow—aim for 16 characters or more for everyday accounts unless a service forces something shorter (then use the maximum allowed and a password manager).
Character variety widens the alphabet: mixing upper and lower case, digits, and symbols increases combinations at a fixed length. Variety helps, but it cannot rescue an eight-character password the way length can—prioritize length first, then add symbols if the site accepts them.
Avoid dictionary words and obvious patterns like keyboard walks (qwerty), pet names, sports teams, and Name+Year! templates. Attackers try those first. Random or randomly chosen unrelated words (passphrases) are much harder to guess than a human “looks random” string that still follows a habit.
| Weak example | Stronger approach |
|---|---|
| Summer2024! | t7Qf-9mLp2@vK4xR8nB1wZ6 |
| qwerty123 | correct-horse-battery-staple-92 |
| Jsmith1 | plaid-bridge-oxide-713-quiet |
Strong examples are illustrative—generate your own unique values and store them in a password manager instead of reusing samples.
Why You Should Never Use Math.random() for Passwords
Math.random() in the browser is designed for games and animations—not cryptography. It is not guaranteed to be unpredictable; historically, poor seeds and known formulas meant attackers who saw a few outputs could sometimes reconstruct the sequence and guess “random” passwords built from it.
The safe alternative is crypto.getRandomValues(), which pulls bytes from the operating system’s cryptographic random source. That API is built for keys, tokens, and secrets: each bit is much closer to flipping a fair coin than to a repeatable math formula.
Good generators (including ConvertPal’s Password Generator) use that cryptographic path so your password is not accidentally part of a guessable stream—without you needing to read spec documents.
How Long Should Your Password Be?
NIST’s memorized-secret guidance (Special Publication 800-63B, with ongoing 2024-era interpretations from security teams) emphasizes length and blocklist checks over forced composition rules. In practice, treat 15+ characters as a sensible floor for new passwords: longer remains better, and mandatory symbol rotation matters less than avoiding reuse and predictable phrases.
| Account type | Recommended length |
|---|---|
| Email & general logins | 16+ characters |
| Banking & high-value accounts | 20+ characters |
| Master password (password manager) | 24+ characters |
Generate a Secure Password Instantly
Open the Password Generator, choose length and character sets, then copy the result into your password manager. The tool runs locally in your tab: nothing is uploaded to ConvertPal or any other server, so you can use it on public Wi‑Fi without exposing a draft password over the network.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the safest way to generate a password?
- Use a trusted password manager’s generator, or a reputable in-browser tool built on
crypto.getRandomValues(), then save the secret only in the manager’s vault. Avoid reusing one password across sites, avoid writing secrets in email or chat, and turn on multi-factor authentication where available. Length plus randomness beats clever mnemonics you reuse everywhere. - How long should a password be in 2026?
- For routine logins, plan on at least 16 characters; for banking or email recovery paths, 20+ is reasonable; and for a password-manager master password, aim for 24+ with a unique random or passphrase-style string. NIST-style guidance keeps pushing teams away from short complexity theater and toward length, blocklists, and breach checks—follow that trend when sites allow it.
- Is it safe to use an online password generator?
- It depends how “online” is implemented. If code runs only in your browser and never sends the password over the network, risk stays low—inspect the privacy note and your network tab once. Avoid generators that ask you to email a password, store it server-side, or run over HTTP. Prefer open, static pages from sources you trust, or use your password manager’s offline generator for maximum peace of mind.
- Should I use symbols in my password?
- Symbols help when sites allow them because they enlarge the character set, but they are not mandatory if length is high and the value is truly random. Some older systems limit special characters—comply with the site’s rules without shrinking below a strong minimum length. If symbols make a password hard to type on mobile, a longer alphanumeric random string from a manager often beats a shorter symbol-heavy one you invent by hand.
- What's the difference between a password and a passphrase?
- A password is usually a shorter random string of mixed characters. A passphrase is a longer sequence of random words—easier to type and remember if generated randomly, still huge search space if the word list is big enough. Both are fine when randomly generated and unique; passphrases shine for master passwords you must occasionally type from memory, while random passwords excel for stored site logins.