## A Word about Master Passwords

One of the most important keys to maintaining your security is selecting a strong master password for your Password Safe database. The database ("Safe") contains all your user names, passwords, and any additional information you may have added. Picking a spouse's name, a birthday, or some other easily guessable combination leaves your data vulnerable. It is important that you pick a hard-to-guess master password that you can easily remember.

Password Safe has a built in check for what it considers to be weak master passwords. In general, a master password (like any password) should consist of mixed case characters with at least one number or special character (such as those found above the number keys on a keyboard). If a master password is entered that the program considers weak, it will prompt for confirmation. You may the option to accept the originally entered (weak) password, or to enter a new one.

To change your master password, please see Changing Master Passwords.

Note: There is no mechanism within Password Safe to retrieve lost or forgotten safe passwords.
This is a deliberate design decision, since any mechanism for retrieving lost passwords poses a security hole that can be exploited.