{"id":217,"date":"2025-02-27T13:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T13:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techrepublic.com\/?p=4195947"},"modified":"2025-02-27T13:00:38","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T13:00:38","slug":"how-to-use-bitwarden-a-step-by-step-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.tecnoartesanos.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/27\/how-to-use-bitwarden-a-step-by-step-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Bitwarden: A Step-by-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bitwarden is a budget-friendly password manager that\u2019s built on open-source software and zero-knowledge encryption.<\/p>\n

In this article, we walk you through how to set up Bitwarden, how to use it, and how you can maximize its features for your organization.<\/p>\n

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1<\/span> Dashlane <\/h3>\n
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Company Size <\/div>\n
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Employees per Company Size<\/p>\n

Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Micro (0-49 Employees), Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees)<\/span> Micro, Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Features<\/p>\n

Automated Provisioning<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a> <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

2<\/span> ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus <\/h3>\n
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Company Size <\/div>\n
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Employees per Company Size<\/p>\n

Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Any Company Size<\/span> Any Company Size<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Features<\/p>\n

Access Management, Compliance Management, Credential Management, and more<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a> <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

3<\/span> Uniqkey – Business Password Manager <\/h3>\n
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Company Size <\/div>\n
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Employees per Company Size<\/p>\n

Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Large (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Small (50-249 Employees), Medium (250-999 Employees), Large (1,000-4,999 Employees), Enterprise (5,000+ Employees)<\/span> Small, Medium, Large, Enterprise<\/span> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Features<\/p>\n

Activity Monitoring, Automated Provisioning, Dashboard, and more<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

1. Decide on a Bitwarden subscription<\/h3>\n

First, you\u2019ll need to decide which Bitwarden subscription is right for you. Bitwarden offers two subscription tiers: Personal and Business.<\/p>\n

\"Bitwarden
Bitwarden Personal subscriptions. Image: Bitwarden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Personal, there are Free, Premium, and Families subscription options available. Free and Premium accounts allow for sharing vault items with two users, while the Families plan allows up to six. The Business tier has a Teams starter plan for up to 10 users and an Enterprise plan that allows for unlimited users. For more information on Bitwarden\u2019s pricing, you can view our full Bitwarden review here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To start, I would suggest going for Bitwarden\u2019s Free version first. It gives you a taste of Bitwarden\u2019s take on password management without cost. It also offers storage for an unlimited number of passwords and can be used on unlimited devices.<\/p>\n

2. Set up the Bitwarden app and browser extension<\/h3>\n

Now that we\u2019ve decided on a plan, it\u2019s time to set up a Bitwarden account. Clicking on the Free tier within Bitwarden\u2019s plans page will take you to its account creation portal.<\/p>\n

\"Creating
Creating a Bitwarden account. Image: Bitwarden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fill in the required details and type in your master password. This master password will serve as your main key to unlocking all the passwords and credentials in your vault. Technically, this is the only password you\u2019ll have to create on your own.<\/p>\n

After filling in all the required fields, you\u2019ll be redirected to Bitwarden\u2019s web application or Web Vault. Once there, Bitwarden will ask you to verify your email address. After verifying, you will then have an official Bitwarden account!<\/p>\n

While Bitwarden\u2019s web app is serviceable, downloading both the desktop application and browser extension will help you get the most out of the service. You can download the desktop app on their official website.<\/p>\n

\"Downloading
Downloading the Bitwarden desktop app. Image: Bitwarden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You should also download Bitwarden\u2019s official browser extension. In this case, we\u2019re using Bitwarden\u2019s Chrome extension, which can be found on the Chrome Web Store<\/p>\n

\"Bitwarden
Bitwarden Chrome extension. Image: Bitwarden<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Upon installing both, you\u2019ll be asked to input your login credentials and master password. Once you\u2019re in, you can officially start using Bitwarden as your password manager. Here\u2019s a look at Bitwarden\u2019s desktop application<\/p>\n

\"Bitwarden\u2019s
Bitwarden\u2019s main dashboard. Image: Luis Millares<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Using Bitwarden<\/h3>\n

As a password manager, Bitwarden stores all your login information inside the encrypted vault. To add a login, just click on the + at the bottom of the dashboard and it will open a form where you can add a new login item.<\/p>\n

\"Adding
Adding new items. Image: Luis Millares<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The more traditional way to add logins is whenever you create a new account online. This is best done through Bitwarden\u2019s browser extension as it offers you easier access to the service while on a particular site.<\/p>\n

In this example, I\u2019ll be making a new account on Udemy. When creating a new account, you can use Bitwarden to generate a random password that\u2019s configured to parameters of your choosing. You can access this by clicking on the Generator tab at the bottom of the extension.<\/p>\n

\"Generating
Generating a password. Image: Luis Millares<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By default, Bitwarden generates a password of 14 characters, but it can be set to have up to 128. You can set it to be a random password with digits, uppercase and lowercase characters, and special symbols. You can also have it create passphrases<\/a> instead \u2014 which some have said are more secure than a typical password.<\/p>\n

Once you have your login credentials set, you can go to the Tab button and click Add a login to add the new Udemy account to your vault.<\/p>\n

\"Add
Add a login. Image: Luis Millares<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With this step, you\u2019ve now stored your first password using Bitwarden! Now that you\u2019ve learned how to store passwords using Bitwarden, the next step is to set up two-step authentication.<\/p>\n

In Bitwarden, this is called a two-step login. This makes your Bitwarden account more secure by requiring you to verify your login with another device. This can be through an SMS code, email, an authenticator app, and others.<\/p>\n

To set this up within Bitwarden\u2019s desktop application, go to Account | Two-step login. It will then redirect you to Bitwarden\u2019s web app and take you through the process.<\/p>\n

If you have any issues using Bitwarden, you can visit the support page on its official website and send out a ticket. It also has a help center with an extensive collection of guides and articles regarding its service.<\/p>\n