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How to export your LastPass data and switch to another password manager

If you need to cut the cord from LastPass, here’s how to do it.

google chrome new password alert feature
Image: KnowTechie

If you’re a LastPass user who wants to find an alternative because you don’t like their new changes, or because their app is tracking you, we’ve got you covered. It’s fairly straightforward to export your data, and the popular alternative services make it simple to import your passwords, so you can get started with a new password manager with a minimum amount of stress.

We’ll walk you through how to download your LastPass data, and in which form, and also point you to how to import your data into some of the more popular alternatives.

Here’s how to transfer your LastPass passwords to another service

Thankfully, collecting your data to move to another service is pretty straightforward, but it helps to know where to look. We’ve got you covered.

  1. If you don’t already have the LastPass extension installed, go do that now. It makes things easier (we’ll show you the more complicated way later)

  2. Click on the extension icon, then on Account Options
    lastpass extension showing account options menu

  3. Click on Advancedlastpass extension showing advanced menu option

  4. Click on Exportlastpass extension showing export menu option

  5. Click on LastPass CSV Filelastpass extension showing csv file option

  6. The extension will open a new tab, and ask you to put your Master Password in to continue. Do so, and your browser will start downloading your CSV file of login details. We’ll talk about what to do with that file later, so put it in a place you’ll be able to find easily.

If you don’t want to install the extension

You can get your data from the LastPass webpage, but it’s slightly more involved.

Go to LastPass.com and sign in. Click on Advanced Options in the left-hand menu, then click on Export in the menu that slides out.

That will open a new tab, with all of your login details in comma-delimited list form. You then have to click on the tab, hit CTRL+A, then CTRL-C, and paste the contents of your clipboard into any text-editing app, like Notepad or Word.

We warned you it would be more complicated… Now you have a text file you can upload to the password manager of your choice, or a CSV file if you opted for the less-complicated, browser extension method.

Other password managers you can use

Now we’ll show you how to import that file into some of the more popular password managers, because you should still be using a password manager. We’ll also run down the costs (if any), and a quick overview of why they’re worth looking at.

Bitwarden

Bitwarden has a free tier, with paid features starting at $10 per year to get things like cloud storage, authenticator, two-step login, and more. Here’s how to import the file we generated from LastPass.

Chrome

Image: Google

Google Chrome has a pretty good password manager built-in (and it’s free), but sometimes it’s not so easy to import a CSV file full of passwords. GuidingTech has you covered here, but if none of these three methods work, there’s still one more way.

Install Firefox, Import your CSV file in the Logins and Passwords menu, then open Google Chrome and go to Bookmarks > Import Bookmarks and Settings to begin. Select Mozilla Firefox from the drop-down, select Passwords and Autofill, and click on Import.

Dashlane

Has a free tier, or you can subscribe from $4.99 per month to get things like unlimited passwords and devices, a VPN, and more. Here’s how to import the file we generated from LastPass.

Keepass

One of the more popular, completely-free password managers, it’s easy to import a CSV file. Oh, and it’s open-source, if that matters to you.

Logmeonce

One of the cheaper paid password managers, you can get encrypted storage, additional password sharing, emergency access, live password tracking, and more, from $2.50 a month. There’s a free tier as well, so you can try before you buy. Here’s how to import your LastPass file.

Finishing up

Now that you’ve exported your passwords from LastPass, and imported them into another password manager, it’s time to decide what to do with your LastPass account. The easiest, and most secure option is to delete your LastPass account. Don’t do this immediately after importing your passwords to another service though, just in case you decide you prefer LastPass after all.

Have any thoughts on this? Did we miss anything? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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