SECURITY
It is next to impossible to keep up with all the rules that the various financial, government, social, and other sites require for the usernames and passwords that they require that you have to access your information. People tend to develop different types of systems for storing this information so that they can remember it.
HOW TO COPE
Many people try to do simple things like using the same passwords and usernames, but this becomes more complex with each business or site setting special rules. These sites also force you to change the passwords on a scheduled basis, and this makes the process even more stressful.
SYSTEMS
There are many systems people implement to keep track of all these usernames and passwords. These systems vary in complexity and level of security. Here are several of the options people use:
- Pen and Paper
- Password Management Software
- Internet Browser Password Management
- Email Systems
- Notes Software
FIREFOX
In this case, I’m going to show you how to retrieve the usernames and passwords from the Firefox browser on your Windows computer. This method of recovering your usernames and passwords will only work if you have the username and password for Microsoft Windows.
LOGINS AND PASSWORDS
Once you have started the Firefox Internet browser software, locate the “three bars” button in the upper right corner of the screen, and navigate to the “Logins and Passwords” menu option as pictured here:
ABOUT LOGINS
This will display the “about:logins” screen which will appear and show a list of all your sites, logins, and passwords as pictured here. Locate the “Search Logins” text box.
SEARCHING
This is what the screen would look like after searching for “Amtrak” to see your username and password for the Amtrak website.
PASSWORD FOUND
In this example, I searched for “Amtrak” to bring up my Amtrack.com password. Once the site is found, assuming you have allowed Firefox to save the password, it will appear on your screen like pictured here. You can view the password by clicking on the little “eye” icon to the right of the password. You can also use the “Copy” buttons to copy the username or password, so that you can paste it into the web site or some other document.
EXPORT PASSWORDS
You can also export all the usernames and passwords that are stored in the Firefox password manager by clicking on the “…” button in the upper right corner of the screen and then selecting “Export logins” as pictured here:
LOST AND FOUND
So, this simple technique will allow you to find passwords that you may have lost or forgotten about. And you can now help others do the same thing in their Firefox Internet browser.
ME
I hope this little tutorial will help you remember how to find any stored usernames and passwords in your Firefox Internet browser. Feel free to find similar tutorials or follow my ramblings at the links listed below: