Security
5 min read
June 4, 2026

How to Make a Strong Password — A Simple Guide Anyone Can Follow

Most passwords people use can be guessed in under a minute. Here is what actually makes a password strong — explained simply — and how to create one instantly for free.

Why Your Current Password Is Probably Weak

Be honest. Is your password one of these?

  • Your name + your birth year (sarah1995)
  • A word with a number at the end (sunshine123)
  • The word "password" — yes, people really use this
  • Your pet's name (fluffy)
  • These passwords can be cracked in seconds by modern computers. Not minutes — seconds. Hackers use programmes that try millions of combinations automatically.

    What Makes a Password Actually Strong?

    There are two things that matter most:

    1. Length

    Every character you add makes your password exponentially harder to crack.

    Password LengthTime to Crack
    6 charactersLess than 1 second
    8 charactersA few minutes
    12 charactersSeveral years
    16 charactersMillions of years
    20 charactersPractically impossible

    2. Character Variety

    Using only lowercase letters means fewer possible combinations. Mix it up:

  • Lowercase letters (a–z) — 26 options per character
  • Uppercase letters (A–Z) — another 26 options
  • Numbers (0–9) — 10 more options
  • Symbols (!@#$%^&*) — even more options
  • A 16-character password using all four types has more possible combinations than there are atoms in your body.

    What to Avoid

  • Do not use real words — dictionaries are the first thing hackers try
  • Do not use personal information — birthdays, names, anniversaries
  • Do not reuse passwords — if one site is hacked, all your accounts become vulnerable
  • Do not use sequential patterns — 123456, abcdef, qwerty
  • The Easiest Solution: Use a Password Generator

    You do not need to invent a strong password yourself. Our Password Generator creates a cryptographically secure random password in one click.

    You can choose:

  • Length: 8 to 128 characters (16+ is recommended)
  • Include uppercase letters: yes or no
  • Include numbers: yes or no
  • Include symbols: yes or no
  • The generator uses your browser's built-in security chip to create randomness — the same technology used by banks and governments. Your password is never sent anywhere. It is generated entirely on your device.

    What to Do With Strong Passwords

    Strong passwords are hard to remember — that is intentional. Use a password manager (like Bitwarden, which is free) to store them. You only need to remember one master password, and the manager handles the rest.

    Create a new strong password right now with our Password Generator. It takes three seconds.

    Written by the GMC Tools team