How To Organize Keepass
First Steps Tutorial
A short tutorial showing you the fundamental usage of KeePass.
This short tutorial will reveal how to truly use KeePass. It describes only the fundamental usage, advanced features are covered on separate pages.
Creating a new database
The 1st step is developing a new password database. KeePass will store all your passwords in this database. To produce one, click 'File - New...' in the primary menu or click the leftmost toolbar button. A window can look, which prompts you for a master password and/or key file. The database is likely to be encrypted with the password you enter here. The password you enter here could be the only password you'll ever have to remember from on now. It ought to be long and accumulated of mixed characters. Bear in mind that when someone gets your database file and guesses the password, he could access all passwords you stored in the database.
For this tutorial, we'll just make use of a password, not a key file. Click into the password edit field and enter a code of your choice. The password edit control isn't limited in total, so feel liberated to even enter a complete sentence (just remember that you may need to consider it).
KeePass 1.x Only
After clicking [OK], a second dialog appears, in which you have to repeat the master password you just entered in the previous dialog. This is in order to avoid accidental typing errors.
KeePass 2.x Only
After clicking [OK], a second dialog appears. In this dialog you can configure some generic database properties. For now, just leave everything as it is and click [OK].
So you see the key window. On the left, you begin to see the entry groups. On the right, you see the specific password entries. The password entries are grouped together to the password groups you see on the left. So, depending which group on the left you selected, it'll show you the entries in this group in the right view. KeePass has generated a few default groups for you personally, but you're totally free to delete them and create your personal ones.
Adding an entry
Time to store your 1st password in the KeePass database! Right-click into the proper password entry view and choose 'Add Entry...' .A screen will pop up. In this window it's simple to edit your entry: enter some title for it, an username, an URL, the specific password, etc. If you don't need a number of the fields, just leave them empty. When you're done, click [OK].
You'll see your brand-new entry in the password list on the best now.
How To Organize Keepass
| KeePass 2.40 | |
|---|---|
Installer for Windows (2.40): Download NowKeePass-2.40-Setup.exe Download the EXE file above, run it and follow the steps of the installation program. You need local installation rights (use the Portable version on the right, if you don't have local installation rights). | Portable (2.40): Download NowKeePass-2.40.zip Download the ZIP package above and unpack it to your favorite location (USB stick, ...). KeePass runs without any additional installation and won't store any settings outside the application directory. |
| Supported operating systems: Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10 (each 32-bit and 64-bit), Mono (Linux, Mac OS X, BSD, ...). | |
| KeePass 1.36 | |
|---|---|
| Installer for Windows (1.36):Download Now KeePass-1.36-Setup.exe Download the EXE file above, run it and follow the steps of the installation program. You need local installation rights (use the Portable version on the right, if you don't have local installation rights). | Portable (1.36):Download Now KeePass-1.36.zip Download the ZIP package above and unpack it to your favorite location (USB stick, ...). KeePass runs without any additional installation and won't store any settings outside the application directory. |
| Supported operating systems: Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10 (each 32-bit and 64-bit), Wine. | |
How To Organize Keepass
Using entries
You got the newest entry in the password list now. What can you do with it now? Right-click onto the entry.
You have several options now. You can like copy the username of the entry to the Windows clipboard. When you've copied it, you can post it into any other program of one's choice. Exactly the same works for copying passwords.
Alternatively, you can drag&drop fields into other windows. To see an example of how this works, see these pages: Drag&Dropping Fields.
KeePass can open the URL you specified. To do this, just click 'URL(s) - Open URL(s)' in the context menu. KeePass will become the default browser and open the specified URL.
How To Organize Keepass
Saving the database
It's time to save our database. Click onto the 'Save' toolbar button (looks like a drive; 3rd toolbar button). As you're saving the database the very first time, you now need certainly to specify a spot where you would like the database file to be stored.
How To Organize Keepass
More
That's it! You've made the first steps in using KeePass! You can now have a go through the heightened top features of KeePass.
Passwords and Key Files: In the tutorial above we've encrypted the database employing a password. But KeePass also supports key files, i.e. you can lock your database employing a file (which you can tote around on your own USB stick for example). It even supports combining those two methods for maximum security.
TAN Entries: TAN entries are one-time passwords. Many banks are employing TANs for better security. KeePass supports TAN entries, by making them expire automatically when utilizing them.
Auto-Type: The auto-typing functionality is really a very powerful feature. In the tutorial above you've copied the username and password of an entry to the clipboard. Wouldn't it be nice if KeePass would just type those strings for you into other windows? Wouldn't it be nice if you may define whole sequences of keypresses that KeePass should type for you personally? That's exactly what the Auto-Typing feature does: it sends simulated keypresses for you to other windows!
URL Field Capabilities: The URL field supports URLs of course. In the tutorial, you've learned as you are able to enter simple URLs into this field and KeePass will open the browser window for you. But the URL field can do more! It actually supports a variety of protocols (not just
http) and supports executing Windows command lines through the cmd:// virtual protocol. The field also features a powerful substitution engine, replacing codes by other fields (username, password, ...) with this entry.Command Line Capabilities: You can open .kdb files by passing the filename to the KeePass executable file. But did you realize that you can even send the password for the database and key file location within the command line? You can also utilize the command line to pre-select a vital apply for you.
Plugins (1.x, 2.x): KeePass comes with a powerful plugin architecture. If you miss some functionality, have a go through the plugins page to see if there are others that have already written plugins for this. Many plugins exist to import/export data from/to other file formats.
How To Organize Keepass
General information
When downloading KeePass, you have the decision between 3 different packages:
- KeePass-2.xx-Setup.exe: A company program for Windows.
- KeePass-2.xx.zip: A KeePass ZIP package (portable version).
- KeePass-2.xx-Source.zip: The foundation code.
The installer and the portable version are described in more detail below.
The foundation code package contains all you need to compile KeePass. It provides the C#/C++ source code and header files, resource files, sources for building the installer, etc.
Updating KeePass:
When a new KeePass version has been released, you can update your existing KeePass installation, without losing any configuration settings. The steps are depending where package you are using (installer or portable), see below.
Translations also needs to be updated when you install a new KeePass version. You can find the most recent translation files here: KeePass Translations.
How To Organize Keepass
Installer program (KeePass-2.xx-Setup.exe file)
The KeePass development team offers an installer, which copies KeePass to your hard drive, creates shortcuts in the start menu and associates KDBX files with KeePass, if desired.
Additionally, KeePass is automatically configured to store its settings in the application form data directory of the current user. This way multiple users can play one KeePass installation without overwriting each other's settings (each user has his own configuration file). The setup program must run with administrative rights, however KeePass runs fine without administrative rights once it's installed.
Installation:
To put in KeePass, run the
KeePass-2.xx-Setup.exe file and follow the wizard.Updating:
Run the
KeePass-2.xx-Setup.exe file. You do not need certainly to uninstall the old version first. Your configuration options won't be lost.Uninstallation:
To be able to uninstall KeePass, run the uninstallation program, which will be accessible by a shortcut in the start menu folder of KeePass, or in this system part of the machine control panel. If in addition you want to get rid of your configuration settings, you'll need to delete the configuration file in the application form data directory of one's report
Silent Installation:
The KeePass installer
KeePass-2.xx-Setup.exe supports command line switches for silent installation, i.e. the program gets installed without asking an individual for target directory or association options. The default settings of the installer are used.The
/SILENT command line switch performs a quiet installation and shows a status dialog during the setup process. No questions will be asked though.The
/VERYSILENT command line switch performs a silent installation and does not show a status dialog through the setup process.Destination Path:
The installer allows to choose the destination path to which KeePass is installed. However, when the installer detects a current KeePass installation, it assumes that the consumer wants to perform an upgrade and thus doesn't display the destination path selection page; the old version will be overwritten by the brand new version. If you intend to move an existing KeePass installation to another path, first uninstall the old version; the installer of the brand new version will likely then display the destination path selection page again.
Options/Components:
The installation options/components are explained in more detail here: What do the 2.x installation options/components mean in more detail?.
How To Organize Keepass
Portable version (KeePass-2.xx.zip file)
The portable version could be carried around on portable devices (like USB sticks) and runs on any computer directly from the device, without the installation. It doesn't store anything on the body (in contrast to the setup package, see above). KeePass doesn't create any new registry keys and it doesn't create any configuration files in your Windows or application data directory of your user profile.
Ensure that KeePass has write access to its application directory. Otherwise, when it doesn't have, it'll try to store the configuration options (nothing security-relevant though) into the applying data directory of the currently logged on user. For more about that, see these pages
Installation:
KeePass doesn't must be installed. Just download the ZIP package, unpack it with your chosen ZIP program and KeePass is able to be used. Copy it to a spot of your choice (for example on your USB stick); no additional configuration or installation is needed.
Updating:
Download the most recent portable package of KeePass, unpack it and copy new files on the old ones. Your configuration settings will not be lost (the settings are stored in the KeePass.config.xml file, which won't be overwritten, because KeePass ZIP packages don't include a KeePass.config.xml file).
Uninstallation:
Simply delete the KeePass folder. This can leave no trace of KeePass on your own system.