Remembering the usernames and passwords for all the accounts you have can be quite difficult, especially if the credentials are not the same and the security keys are designed to be strong. Fortunately, there is a variety of applications out there that can give you a helping hand in this matter, known under the generic name of password managers.

Protected Passwords is one of these utilities, aiming to securely store your passwords, while providing fast access to all the credentials. The database it creates is encrypted and protected by a master password itself, so as to prevent the unauthorized access to your account data.

What is interesting is that the application does not provide a standard main interface, but displays a simple set of keys on your desktop, which you can place anywhere and use to access the password database from the desktop, in an instant.

Configuring Protected Passwords is done via the right-click menu, which comprises options for adding new entries to the database, setting the program to launch at startup and viewing all the stored passwords.

Protected Passwords can assign an identifier name to each record and assign it a URL, a username and a password. It also comes with password generating capabilities, as well as encryption options for the integrated password viewer.

Passwords or usernames can be easily copied to the clipboard and the entire list can be printed out on paper. For security purposes, the application detects whether the password data file was generated on a different machine and if so, restricts the access to the entire database.

Secured by a master password, the vault created by Protected Passwords can store all your credentials in a single place. The created data file is encrypted, which makes it difficult for others to view your account details without prior consent.