Help changing passwords

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I am not sure this is the proper thread for this question. If it is not then move it to where it belongs

I have used the same password for a lot of sites including Apple. Apparently that is not a good idea so I am in the process of changing passwords.

However I am a bit confused as the application or use of my Apple account(s) and passwords

I have a password I use to log into my computer and I use the same password for my Apple ID account and my iTunes account.

Are all of my Apple accounts connected so they would use the same password?

IF I change my Apple ID password will it also change my iTunes password or visa versa?
Or are my Apple ID and my iTunes account the same?

When I change either my Apple ID password or my iTunes password or both will it also change the password I use to log into my computer ?

I hope this makes sense . I don't want to create a mess for myself
Thanks
Barbara
 

bobtomay

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The login to the user account on your computer has nothing to do with your Apple ID.

iTunes uses your Apple ID.
You change the password for your Apple ID, then yes, you have changed the password for logging in to iTunes.
 
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Thank you !
I will change the password for my Apple ID and iTunes.

Do you ever change the password you use to log into your computer?
Thanks again
Barbara
 

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Do you ever change the password you use to log into your computer?

Not on my iMac which sits in my home office. I don't use a password to log on to it but I do for all my "portable" devices.
 
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Thanks
When I set up my iMac years ago it asked me to establish a password so I did . :)
 

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I keep a login password on my notebooks - but don't on my desktop machines either.

I also use a password protected password manager on my all my machines - so, no stored passwords in my web browsers, etc. on any of them.
 
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I keep a login password on my notebooks - but don't on my desktop machines either.

I also use a password protected password manager on my all my machines - so, no stored passwords in my web browsers, etc. on any of them.

What is a "password protected password manager' ? And how does it work

I had use one password for everything until I my CC was hacked and the fraud department at the Bank told me to change ALL of my passwords . When I told them I had one all purpose password they said I needed to come up with different passwords for each site . So I have been coming up with random letters , numbers and symbols for each site I visit and writing them down on index cards. This is very time consuming so if there is a better way I would like to know about it .
Thanks
Barbara
 

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Barbara:

You need a password manager that will do that for you. There are numerous ones available, even some that are free, however, most of us use 1Password for maximum protection. It's a bit pricey except when on sale.

1Password for the Mac
 

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Password management

Barbara, you might be interested in using a low tech approach. I stress it’s not as secure as say “1Password” but it’s what my wife does and she, like you, used to have one password for everything.

Her laptop login is a phrase. You can use a nonsense phrase that you will remember like, “I don’t roast fish”. This is much stronger than your name or birthday or combination of the two and much harder to guess. Mix up the lower and upper case letters and it’s even stronger.
Do make sure you tell someone you trust what it is. Recently a woman left her new iPad to her son in her will but had not told him the password. It is now an expensive paperweight. Apple will not help and neither can a technician. There is of course always the possibility that we might forget it ourselves eg. stroke, illness, accident, Alzheimer’s etc.

She has a free dedicated email account that she uses for her user name. That way any annoying ads don’t end up in her main email address.

She uses a free app from the App Store called DoorMan to create passwords for each new site.

On each new occasion she creates a MS Word document named for the site eg “Mac Forums” docx and saves it in a folder with an innocent name (not My Passwords) in a place she can find easily.

Now any time she needs to log in to a site she goes to the appropriate doc and simply copies and pastes her user name and password into the dialogue boxes.

I say again this is convenient and simple but not very secure but, it is much safer than using the same password or weak passwords for everything and your main email address is more secure.
O:)
 
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Well, the password question has already been answered extensively, I just wanted to add that, even your Apple ID doesn't have to be the same: I have different ones for iCloud and iTunes.

In fact, due to often spending considerable amounts of time across the pond, I have two separate iTunes accounts for US and UK stores - works perfectly and yes, all purchases are in the same iTunes app ;)
 

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Rod, another way to do what your wife is doing and a little more secure - have her use the Keychain to store her passwords. I did this up until I just had too many passwords and it became a pitb to go copy and paste instead of having an app (like 1Password) do it all for me.

If not using Safari or not allowing Safari to remember login details of sites - When creating a new password for a site, open up Keychain Access and create a new 'Secure Note'. Copy and paste the usename/password and any other pertinent info into the note. Keeps everything in one place and will require at a minimum knowing the login password of the machine to access any other info.
 
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1Password

Currently on 50% sale!
 

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Thanks Bobtomay, thats a way of using KeyChain I had not heard of. I'll explore that. It could be very handy for my kids but I like you have way too many password files now. I keep all my files in a password protected .dmg file.
I like MBP.17.David have 2 Apple Id's but I wonder how he gets around the 90 day device association rule for iTunes. He seems to be saying he has purchases on 2 different iTunes accounts all in one iTunes app.
It was my understanding you can't do that unless he is using two separate devices.
 
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Thanks Bobtomay, thats a way of using KeyChain I had not heard of. I'll explore that. It could be very handy for my kids but I like you have way too many password files now. I keep all my files in a password protected .dmg file.
I like MBP.17.David have 2 Apple Id's but I wonder how he gets around the 90 day device association rule for iTunes. He seems to be saying he has purchases on 2 different iTunes accounts all in one iTunes app.
It was my understanding you can't do that unless he is using two separate devices.

I have had two Apple IDs for years: USA - Australia.

Simply log out of one store and log into the other. PIA!
 
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I like MBP.17.David have 2 Apple Id's but I wonder how he gets around the 90 day device association rule for iTunes. He seems to be saying he has purchases on 2 different iTunes accounts all in one iTunes app.
It was my understanding you can't do that unless he is using two separate devices.

Yup, all on the same MBPro 17". Just like Luvntravln said above, I simply log out of the UK store and login to the US one - the message pops up telling me the account only valid for the US store and iTunes is taking me there - done. Quite often I do that a few times a day - particularly when there are updates for apps purchased in different stores, or new episodes of TV shows ... My Apple TV is permanently log in with UK store ID, but has full access to my entire library, including items purchased in the US store.
 
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The thing I like about both 1Password (though its mighty pricey when not on sale) and iCloud Keychain (FREE!) is that they both can generate and manage "strong" passwords you'd never in a million years remember. But you don't have to -- all you need to know is the ONE access password to unlock their respective keychains, which is local and thus can be a lot more "memorable" (I like the "strange phrase" idea above for that!).
 
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I'd suggest taking a look at LastPass (LP). It's free, but for a buck a month, you'll get higher priority when you ask for help. There are others, but it's the first one (recommended by How-to-Geek) that I tried and I like it. It, too, requires a master password (phrase) and without it, you're dead in the water -- even LP can't help you, so heed Rod Spragues's advice (above). I can't tell you everything about it here, but I'll note the highlights, in no particular order:

The most important thing that it does is it gets you out of using the same password for everything -- a dangerous habit, to say the least.

When you encounter a site that's not in LP's "vault" yet, it will help you set up the record. Piece of cake. If it's already in the vault, LP will fill in your username and password, and log you in (automatically, if that's what you specified).

For each site you visit that requires a sign-in with a password, LP will keep a record in its vault, identified by the site's URL. The record contains your name for the site, a folder name (more on that later), your sign-in username (not necessarily the same for all sites), a password which is SO gobbledegooky, it always gets a "superior" rating -- and it will generate it for you based on your specification of how long it should be, if symbols can be used, how many numerics, etc. There are other controls you can set, including the ability to automatically log you in when you encounter the site.

The folder I mentioned is LP's way of letting you classify your sites, if you're the least bit organized. I happen to place a lot of value on classification. Nothing is cast in concrete, and if something is in the wrong folder, just drag it to the right one. Some of the folder names I use are Entertainment, Financial, Forums, Hardware, Health, Mail, Medical, Social, etc.

If the site you're adding is already password protected, you can tell LP to use that password (and it will probably warn you that it's a duplicate password, but it will let you get away with it). Later, you can go to change the password, ask LP to generate one for you, and it will update its record.

There will be occasions where it would be helpful to be a tiny bit technically-oriented. I won't go into detail here, but it doesn't happen often enough to discourage you from LP's benefits.

One thing you will absolutely love when you have occasion to use it is "form fill". I suspect that other packages have something similar. You keep a profile with all the information about you, including credit card data. (It's all encrypted out there, and the only one who can decrypt it is your computer using your master password.) When you come across a form that requires personal information (as when you're making an online purchase) a couple of clicks and the whole thing gets filled out. You can have more than one profile; for example, where a different profile is a copy of your default profile, except for different credit card info to handle that situation. Naming that profile appropriately makes life easier.

I don't know everything about LP, but this should give you an idea of what it's like. You don't have to remember your passwords anymore, but you can always find out what they are.

They don't skimp on documentation, either. You can download and print their 186-page user manual if you're so inclined.
 

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