Use Keepass portable - how it works

With Keepass Portable you can manage your passwords easily and securely on a USB stick. This means you can take your access data with you wherever you go and you do not have to remember every password. We explain how to use the program.

Download and set up KeePass Portable

KeePass is available in two versions, which differ in some functions. However, the basic operation is the same for both variants. KeePass 2 Portable was used for the following steps.

1. First you need to download KeePass 2. The portable version has the advantage that it does not have to be installed and can therefore also be used on a USB stick. Unzip the ZIP file into any directory.
2. A minor disadvantage of KeePass is that the program is only available in English by default. However, there is a German language file that you can download afterwards. Unzip the file into the "Languages" subdirectory of your KeePass directory.
3. Then start the "KeePass.exe" file. The first time you start, you have to specify whether the software should automatically check for updates or not.
4. Then switch the user interface to German. To do this, click on "View" and then on "Change Language". Select the German language file and close the settings with "Close". Now you have to restart the program.
5. Your passwords are stored in an encrypted database. Press CTRL + N to create a new database. Enter a name and select your KeePass directory as the storage location.
6. Now comes the most important point: you need to create a master password to secure your database. Choose a sufficiently secure password here and keep it secret. Anyone who has the main password has access to all the access data stored in KeePass.
7. Finally, the database settings are displayed, which you can apply unchanged. On request, you can print out an emergency sheet with all important information about the database. After printing, you can manually write down the main password here. Keep the emergency sheet in a safe place.

Create and use passwords

Passwords are clearly managed in groups. You can create new groups via the Edit menu. Or you can use the ones provided by the program. Before you create a password entry, select the correct group.

1. To enter a new password, press [CTRL] + [I]. Assign a title and enter the user name of the access in the corresponding field.
2. KeePass suggests a password and already enters it in the password field. If you want to display it, click on the three dots behind the field. You can of course overwrite the default. For security reasons, the password must be entered twice.
3. If you want to generate a secure password yourself, you can use the integrated password generator. To do this, click on the key symbol behind the password repeat field. In the password generator you can define various criteria such as capital letters, numbers, special characters and password length.
4. You can optionally fill out all other fields. When accessing a website, it is advisable, for example, to enter the web address in the "URL" field. If you activate the "Valid until" option and enter an expiry date, KeePass will remind you of expired passwords after the program starts.
5. KeePass offers two simple key combinations for transferring saved passwords into forms or login windows. All you have to do is mark the relevant password entry. Copy the user name to the clipboard with [CTRL] + [B] and the password with [CTRL] + [C]. Paste the data into the login fields with [CTRL] + [V].
6. In most cases, the automatic filling in of the required fields should also work. You then do not have to copy and paste the user name and password separately. To do this, open the relevant website, for example. Then mark the password entry in KeePass Portable and press [CTRL] + [V]. The program jumps back to the website and automatically enters the access data.
7. Important: When you leave your workplace, you should always lock the program window by clicking on the lock symbol so that no unauthorized person can use your access data. In the options that you will find in the "Extras" menu, you can also set a time after which KeePass will automatically block itself.