To create a new keychain, either select "I want to create a new keychain" in the program's welcome screen or "File" -> "New..." in the menu bar.
In the next step please assign a name for the keychain and then click "OK".
Now please choose a master password which will secure the access to your keychain. Since this master password allows access to all passwords and other data contained in the keychain, it is important that you use a password that is as secure as possible for this purpose.
Note: The master password is known only to you and is always required to gain access to the contents of the keychain. In any case, please make sure that you remember the master password and ideally also keep it in a safe place. If the master password is lost, there is no way to get hold of it again or to have it reset by us!
You have several possibilities to set a master password:
- Enter password directly with the keyboard
Enter the desired password in the fields "New password" and "New password (repetition)". - Generate password automatically
To do this, click on the "Generate password" icon (third icon) next to the "New password" field.
Specify the properties of the password. You should activate at least one of the offered options. The more options you choose and the more characters the password has, the more secure it will be.
You can see the security of the password by the number of locks.
Then click the "Next..." button to generate the password.
When prompted, move the mouse so that random values are generated to create the password.
The generated password will be displayed hidden. Click on the specified button so that the password is displayed in plain text.
Copy the generated password by clicking the "Copy password to clipboard" icon on the far right and click the "OK" button. Thus it is possible to easily paste the generated password into the "New Password (Repeat)" field by right-clicking it. - Input using the virtual keyboard
You can also use the virtual keyboard for input. This is a special protection measure against keyloggers that may read the keyboard input.
To do this, click on the Virtual Keyboard icon (first icon) next to the "New password" field. Now enter your password with the virtual keyboard and repeat the process for the "New password (retry)" field. - Steganos PicPass
Note: We recommend that you no longer use this method, as it no longer meets the current requirements for a secure password. This option is only still included for compatibility reasons.
To do this, click on the Steganos PicPass icon (second icon) next to the "New Password" field.
6x6 images or 6x6 icons will be displayed.
Click on the images/symbols in any order. Then switch to the "Repeat" tab and repeat the order you entered earlier.
In case of an incorrect entry, click on the "Reset" button and start the entry from the beginning on the "Selection" tab.
Once you have reached the desired password length, click the "OK" button.
The generated password will be displayed hidden. Click the specified button to have the password displayed in plain text.
To apply the password to the corresponding fields, click the "OK" button.
The quality of the password is displayed in all four cases. More locks mean higher security of the password.
Store password on key device (e.g. USB stick).
You also have the option of storing the password on a USB stick. This allows you to open the key ring directly without entering the password if the corresponding USB stick is connected.
Note: In this case, please also make sure that you remember the selected password or store it safely. Otherwise, if the USB stick is damaged or lost, there is no way to decrypt the keychain!
Use two-factor authentication
If this option is used, a code generated by a second device is required in addition to the master password to gain access to the keychain. Here, a code generator is created e.g. in a corresponding app on your smartphone.
Note: When using this option, please make sure to save the code or QR code that is displayed when creating the second factor. If the device is lost, you will need this QR code to set up the second factor again. There is no other way to set it up again or reset it in case of loss.