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Maybe I am failing to grok password managers, but I can't get my head around this: I'm traveling. My phone and laptop are lost or stolen. I am now unable to lo

• Zuider 5y ago
  You can get around this by backing up your database of passwords onto a pendrive, for example, and then installing the password manager on to a fresh device. You will be able to gain access to your old password file from this if you remember your password.
• abhaynayar 5y ago
  Password managers can store your passwords on the cloud as well.
  • mbildner 5y ago
    True but any password manager in the cloud should require MFA, which means if you lose your devices you’re still stuck.
• mbildner 5y ago
  You are fundamentally correct: to make your passwords safe from hackers you are making them harder for yourself to access (in this case by requiring MFA). Accessing your passwords now requires having access to a device (your second factor). There are recovery mechanisms that you can set up ahead of time (a series of recovery codes for example), but for the most part I would agree with your premise: you will have a very hard time accessing your accounts if you ever lose your primary devices. For me the security benefit is worth the inconvenience.