Question & answer

How do you switch to a different password manager?

The short answer

Export and import: every manager can export your vault (usually as a CSV file) and every other one can import it, folders included. It takes about fifteen minutes. Delete the export file immediately afterward, because it contains your passwords unencrypted.

Feeling locked into your current manager is a misconception: switching is a standard routine. In the old manager you choose export, which produces a file with all your logins. The new manager's import feature recognizes the formats of all major competitors; Bitwarden, 1Password, NordPass, and Proton Pass import from each other and from the Google and Apple browsers without drama.

One point deserves emphasis: that export file is your crown jewels in plain text. Never park it in cloud storage or email, and delete it right after the import, including from the trash. Do the whole operation on your own computer, not a shared or work machine.

After the import, do a quick sweep: check the counts match, re-add or migrate your 2FA codes, and set up the new manager's safety net right away (recovery code or emergency contact). Keep the old manager around for a month as a fallback, then close it down.

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