Android: Install and use Keepass - Here's how
The popular password manager KeePass is available in addition to the PC version for mobile devices with Android. There are several apps available, such as KeePassDroid or Keepass2Android. We'll show you how to keep your passwords safe on the go with Keepass2Android.
Install and set up Keepass2Android
Before you can use the password manager, you must install it on your smartphone or tablet. As with any other app, this also happens via the Google Play Store.
- After installation, start Keepass2Android. You can now open an existing password database. The program supports database files that were created with the Windows version of KeePass 2. If you don't have a database yet, tap on "Create new database".
- First set the location for the password file. You can adjust the path suggested by the app via "Change storage location". In addition to the local storage, for example on the SD card of the smartphone, the app offers various cloud services to choose from. If you have a Dropbox or OneDrive account, you can also save the file there. To do this, you have to enter your login data. Whether local or in the cloud - in any case, you still have to select the target directory and assign a file name.
- Now follows a very important step: secure your password file with a master password. This should be long enough, complex and kept absolutely secret by you. Anyone who knows the master password has access to all passwords recorded in KeePass2Android. Therefore, use at least eight characters and a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. If you have entered the master password twice in the same way, tap on "Create database".
Manage and use passwords
After you have created or opened a database, you can enter new passwords and easily transfer them to login fields on websites or other apps.
- For better structuring, all access data are organized in groups. To create a new new password entry, first switch to one of the given groups. Or you create a new group. To do this, tap the plus symbol at the bottom right and then the folder. Enter a name and confirm your entry with "Ok".
- Switch to the respective group by tapping on the group name. Then select the plus symbol and the key in succession to enter a new password. Different templates are available depending on the type of entry. For example, there are customized forms for e-mail addresses, credit cards or WLAN networks. For a normal entry with user name and password, use "Standard entry".
- Enter at least the user name and the password. For websites it is advisable to also include the URL. Save the data record by tapping the floppy disk at the top.
- To use a saved password, the user name and password must be pasted one after the other on the clipboard in the relevant login form. Open the required entry in Keepass2Android. Then tap on the three dots behind the user name and select "Copy to clipboard". Call up the application in which you must enter the data and paste the user name from the clipboard into the correct field. Then switch back to password management and repeat the process for the password.
- Important: For security reasons, the clipboard is emptied at certain intervals by Keepass2Android. This prevents other processes from tapping the cached data. In addition, the app locks itself if it has not been used for a certain time. You can adjust the time periods yourself. To do this, call up the settings from the Keepass2Android menu and switch to "Application" and "Security". There you set the values under "Clipboard lock" and "Application timeout".
In the next article we will tell you how to use the Windows version of KeePass.