Why Switching Password Managers Is Easier Than You Think

Most people put off switching password managers for months — sometimes years — because they assume it means hours of manually re-entering hundreds of logins. It doesn't. Every major password manager supports CSV export and import, which means the whole migration can take under 30 minutes if you follow the right steps.

The main risk isn't the process breaking. It's doing it carelessly — skipping backups, importing into an unverified account, or deleting your old manager before confirming everything transferred. Do it methodically, and you won't lose a thing.

Before You Switch: What to Back Up First

Before you touch any export settings, create an offline backup of your current vault. This is your safety net.

Most password managers let you export to a CSV file or encrypted format. Export to CSV, save it somewhere secure (an encrypted USB drive or a local folder you control), and do not upload it to cloud storage unencrypted — a CSV of your passwords is essentially a skeleton key to your digital life.

Also note what's in your vault beyond usernames and passwords:

Secure notes (bank PINs, software license keys, Wi-Fi passwords)
Credit card or identity information
Shared folders or team passwords (especially relevant for business accounts)
TOTP/authenticator codes stored inside the manager

Some of these won't survive a standard CSV export. Write down what you have before you start, so you can cross-check afterward.

How to Choose Your New Password Manager Before You Migrate

Don't start the export process until you've already set up your new account and tested it. Picking a password manager mid-migration is how you end up with an unsecured CSV sitting on your desktop.

A few solid options worth considering:

Bitwarden — Open-source, independently audited, free tier is genuinely useful, and premium is $10/year. Best overall value.
1Password — Polished apps, excellent family/team sharing, $3/month for individuals. Strong for Mac/iOS users.
Dashlane — Good dark web monitoring, but more expensive at around $5/month. Better for users who want that extra threat detection layer.
NordPass — Simple interface, solid encryption (XChaCha20), reasonable pricing around $2.49/month on sale.

If you're doing the popular switch from LastPass to Bitwarden specifically — after LastPass's 2022 breach and the subsequent revelations about their security architecture — Bitwarden is a well-documented upgrade in terms of trust. The import process for that specific migration is well-supported with a dedicated LastPass import option.

Make sure you've created your account, set a strong master password (use a passphrase — something like correct-horse-battery-staple style, 5+ random words), and enabled two-factor authentication before you import anything.

How to Export Passwords From Popular Password Managers

Here's how to export passwords from password manager vaults for the most common tools:

LastPass

Log into LastPass in a browser (not the extension)
Go to Advanced Options → Export
Enter your master password
A CSV downloads automatically

1Password

Open 1Password in a browser or the desktop app
Go to Settings → Export
Choose your vault, authenticate, and export as a .1pif file or CSV

Dashlane

Go to My Account → Export Data
Choose Export to CSV (or their proprietary format for Dashlane-to-Dashlane moves)

Keeper

Open the Admin Console or the web vault
Go to Settings → Export
Exports as CSV or JSON

Bitwarden (if you're leaving it)

Go to Tools → Export Vault
Choose CSV or encrypted JSON (the encrypted JSON is safer to store)

One important note: always delete the CSV file from your Downloads folder immediately after importing. Don't leave it sitting there.

How to Import Passwords Into Your New Password Manager

Once you have the export file and your new account is ready, importing is usually a few clicks.

Bitwarden (importing into it)

Log into vault.bitwarden.com
Go to Tools → Import Data
Select your previous manager from the dropdown (there are 50+ supported formats)
Upload your file and click Import

Bitwarden will tell you how many items imported successfully. If you're doing a migrate passwords to new manager process from LastPass specifically, select "LastPass (csv)" from the dropdown — don't use the generic CSV option, as field mapping may go wrong.

1Password (importing into it)

Open the desktop app
Go to File → Import
Select your source (it supports 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane, and generic CSV)
Authenticate and follow the prompts

Dashlane (importing into it)

Dashlane's import is browser-based. Go to the web app, find My Account → Import Passwords, and follow the instructions. Their generic CSV import works with most sources.

After importing, do not immediately close the tab or log out. Stay in your new vault and do a quick spot-check first.

How to Handle Passwords That Didn't Transfer Correctly

Some items won't make the jump cleanly. Common casualties:

TOTP/2FA codes stored in-app (apps like Authy handle these separately, but if your old manager stored them, you may need to re-add them manually)
Attachments (files stored inside vault entries rarely export)
Custom fields that don't map to standard CSV columns
Passwords with special characters in names that CSV formatting garbled

The fix: go back to your old manager (don't delete it yet), find the missing items, and add them manually to the new vault. This is usually fewer than 10 items, not hundreds.

How to Verify Nothing Was Lost After Migrating

Do this before you celebrate:

Count your items. Your old manager shows a total item count somewhere in settings. Your new manager should show the same number after import.
Spot-check 10–15 logins across different categories — banking, email, social, work tools. Open the entry and confirm the username, password, and URL are all there.
Test actual logins. Pick 5 accounts and log in using only your new manager's autofill. If autofill works, the credentials are correct.
Check secure notes and card info. These are often stored in a different section and easy to miss.

If the counts are off, your CSV export may have had a row limit or a formatting error. Go back to the export step, check if the file looks complete when you open it in a text editor, and re-import.

What to Do With Shared Passwords and Secure Notes During a Switch

Shared passwords (for family streaming accounts, team logins at work, shared utilities) need extra care.

If you're on a family or team plan, shared vaults don't always export with individual accounts. You may need to:

Export from the organization/family owner account separately
Recreate shared folders in the new manager and re-invite members
Manually copy shared items that weren't in the export

Secure notes usually export but check the character limit — some managers truncate long notes in CSV format. If you have lengthy notes (like a full Wi-Fi setup guide or server credentials), paste them manually rather than trusting the CSV to handle them.

How to Update Your Devices and Browser Extensions After Switching

Once your new vault is confirmed complete, update every device:

Uninstall the old browser extension and install the new one from the official extension store (Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, etc.)
Log into the new extension and pin it to your toolbar
Install the mobile app on iOS/Android and enable it as the default autofill provider in your phone's settings
Install the desktop app if your new manager has one (1Password and Bitwarden both do — worth using over browser-only access)

On iPhone: Settings → Passwords → Password Options → select your new manager. On Android: Settings → General Management → Passwords & Autofill → select your app.

Don't skip the mobile setup. That's usually where people forget to switch and end up confused about why autofill stopped working.

When to Delete Your Old Password Manager (And How to Do It Safely)

Wait at least two weeks before canceling your old account. Use the new manager exclusively during that time — if something is missing, you can still retrieve it from the old vault.

When you're ready to delete:

Revoke all active sessions in your old manager's account settings
Delete the vault contents before closing the account (some managers retain encrypted data otherwise)
Cancel your subscription — don't just stop paying, actually cancel so you're not charged again
Delete the CSV backup file from wherever you stored it, once you're fully confident in the migration
Uninstall any remaining apps or extensions from all devices

For LastPass specifically: go to Account Settings → Delete or Reset Account in the web vault after revoking sessions.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Switching Password Managers

Deleting the old manager before verifying the new one — always keep both running during the transition
Using a weak master password for the new account — this is your fresh start, use a proper passphrase
Not enabling 2FA on the new account immediately
Forgetting to switch on mobile — most people remember desktop, forget their phone
Leaving the CSV in Downloads — delete it right after importing
Not checking secure notes and card info — these are easy to overlook until you need them

How to Keep Your Passwords Secure During the Transition

The window between export and confirmed import is your most vulnerable moment. Keep it short and controlled:

Do the migration on a trusted private network — not public Wi-Fi
Complete the entire process in one sitting rather than leaving an exported CSV on your machine overnight
Use encrypted JSON export where available (Bitwarden offers this) instead of plain CSV
If you must step away mid-migration, lock your screen and store the CSV in a password-protected folder using something like 7-Zip (free) with AES-256 encryption

The actual how to switch password managers process is low-risk when it's done quickly and deliberately. The risk comes from dragging it out.

Your next step: Pick your new password manager, create the account, and turn on 2FA right now — before you do anything else. Once that's done, the export and import will take you less time than this article took to read.