Trend Micro Password Manager

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.

Main Window

On Windows and macOS, Trend Micro Password Manager functions entirely within the browser. Its colorful main window reports how many passwords you've saved, and how many of those are weak ones or duplicates.

Multiple Platforms

You can install the password manager on all of your Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices, with data synced automatically between them.

Android Main

Installed on Android, the password manager offers a number of features not found in the desktop editions, including the option to add a Home Screen shortcut for any of your saved logins.

Password Capture

When you log in to a site, the password manager (seen here running on a Mac) offers to capture your credentials. If you want to assign the new login to a folder or give it a friendly name, you must open the editor after capturing the data.

Key Icon

On a mobile device, Trend Micro Password Manager opens logins within a proprietary internal browser. New in this version, you can tap the key icon at bottom right to list all available passwords across the top, and optionally add a new one.

Password Doctor

The Password Doctor reports on any weak passwords in your collection, and on any that you've used more than once. You can click through to open the site and manually change to a better password.

Secure Browser

The Windows version includes a Chrome-based secure browser for working with your most sensitive accounts. As this screen shows, not all sites are compatible with the secure browser.

Password Note

New in this edition, you can add a note to any of your passwords. This feature works across all platforms.

Structured Note

In addition to the existing free-form Secure Notes feature, you can now add structured notes using three templates. This feature works in Android at present and will come to iOS very soon.

App Passwords in iOS

On an iOS device, you can configure the password manager to auto-fill application passwords using the share box icon. This feature only works with applications that have been designed to support the share box.

About Our Expert

Neil J. Rubenking

Principal Writer, Security

My Experience

When the IBM PC was new, I served as the president of the San Francisco PC User Group for three years. That’s how I met PCMag’s editorial team, who brought me on board in 1986. In the years since that fateful meeting, I’ve become PCMag’s expert on security, privacy, and identity protection, putting antivirus tools, security suites, and all kinds of security software through their paces.

Before my current security gig, I supplied PCMag readers with tips and solutions on using popular applications, operating systems, and programming languages in my "User to User" and "Ask Neil" columns, which began in 1990 and ran for almost 20 years. Along the way, I wrote more than 40 utility articles, as well as Delphi Programming for Dummies and six other books covering DOS, Windows, and programming. I also reviewed thousands of products of all kinds, ranging from early Sierra Online adventure games to AOL’s precursor Q-Link.

In the early 2000s, I turned my focus to security and the growing antivirus industry. After years of working with antivirus, I’m known throughout the security industry as an expert on evaluating antivirus tools. I serve as an advisory board member for the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO), an international nonprofit group dedicated to coordinating and improving testing of anti-malware solutions.

The Technology I Use

Much of the testing I do, particularly testing with real-world ransomware, is just plain dangerous. To perform such tests safely, I sequester them inside virtual machines managed by VMWare Workstation. For cross-platform testing, I use a MacBook Air, a Google Pixel 4, and a 6th-generation iPad.

I rely on my Delphi coding skills to create and maintain small applications. These include programs to check whether an antivirus correctly handled the malware it detected, launch dangerous URLs and record the security program’s reaction, and analyze the malware that I collect for use in testing. I also wrote a tiny browser and text editor for use in testing security apps that have predefined reactions for known products.

I do my writing and research on a Dell OptiPlex desktop, relying on Microsoft Word (my fingers know all the shortcuts). Many of my articles include charts and analysis; Excel is my go-to for those. When work hours end, though, I escape the bounds of Microsoft and Windows. There’s an iPhone in my pocket, I relax with my oversized iPad, and my Kindle Oasis is always loaded with the best science fiction and fantasy.

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