Wait just a second before clicking that
'Forgot password?' link—chances are that your browser has your password
stored somewhere in the depths of its memory. Head to your browser's
cache of login details if you can't recall your credentials, or you're
signing in on a new device altogether.
If you've switched on the magical password managing function in
Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari, then your details should
automatically appear when you visit the site again. There are reasons
why this might not happen though: If you've switched browsers, cleared
out your cookies, logged in from a different page or left it a couple of
years between logins then the data might not appear as you expect it
to.
A code change on the site's end can confuse your browser too,
preventing it from serving up the right username and password
combination when you need it. For all of these times, plus those
occasions when you're logging in on a new computer or mobile device, you
can delve into your browser's memory rather than going through a
tedious reset process. Here's how to do it, assuming of course your
browser's password management feature has been enabled in the first
place.
Chrome
In Google Chrome, open the Settings link from the main menu and choose Show advanced settings. Click Manage passwords
to bring up a list. If there are a lot of entries here, use the search
box to look for part of a URL. You can then click on an entry and select
Show to see the password—Chrome will prompt you for
the username associated with your Windows or Mac account to prove you
are who you say you are before showing the password.
Firefox
If Firefox is your browser of choice, choose Options then Options from the menu. Switch to Security and click the button marked Saved Passwords or Saved Lgin to bring up the database. Again, you can search for entries or simply scroll down the list. Click Show Passwords
to reveal your login information. Anyone you can sit down at your
computer can go through the same process, which is another good reason
to protect your OS user account with a password.
Internet Explorer
Still rocking Microsoft's venerable old browser? You need to head to Control Panel, then search for "Credential Manager"—click Manage Web Credentials when the results appear on screen. Expand the entry of the site you want to look at and choose Show
next to the starred out password. You'll be prompted for your Windows
user account password as an extra level of security, and if you can
prove your identity then the password will be displayed on screen.
Safari
Finally, Apple's browser. From the Safari menu pick Preferences and open up the Passwords tab. You can scroll down through the entries in the list or use the search box to find something specific. Tick the box marked Show passwords for selected websites,
enter your Mac OS user account password, and the details for the
currently selected site appear on screen. That should give you
everything you need to log into the site or app you're using.
