Store your passwords securely with KeePass Password Safe

7. Automatically lock the program (under certain conditions)

Now that you know how to use the program without installing plugins, we will give you some advice.

To begin, we will activate the automatic locking program following several conditions. As you can see, as the program is open and it is not locked, anyone can see your passwords. To prevent the program remains open in your absence, we will activate certain conditions.

To do this, go to the "Tools" menu and click "Options".

Then, in the "Security" tab, check the following boxes :

• Lock workspace after KeePass inactivity (seconds) : The program will lock if you left it open (and you've narrowed it down, for example) but you no longer use it.
• Lock workspace after global user inactivity (seconds) : When you are no longer on your computer, the mouse will not move and you don't use your keyboard. KeePass will detect it and automatically lock.
• Lock workspace when minimizing main window (to taskbar / to tray) : When you minimize the window in the taskbar or to systray, the program will automatically lock.
  Caution: Don't check this box if you want to use extensions for your web browser.
• Lock workspace when locking the computer or switching the user
• Lock workspace when the computer is about to be suspended
• Lock workspace when the remote controle mode changes

Now, when you leave your computer, you know that the program will automatically lock if necessary.

8. Some interesting options

As we are in the program options, here are some interesting options.

To begin, go to the "Interface" tab and check the following boxes :

• Close button [X] minimizes main window ... : If you want to avoid close the program and reopen it later, we advise you to check this box. If you select the check boxes listed above, there is no security risk.
• Minimize to tray instead of taskbar : Minimizes the program by allowing extensions for web browsers to use your database passwords (if the program doesn't lock in the meantime). Otherwise, simply unlock the program and minimize again.

In the "Integration" tab, you can :

• Enable or disable the association of the program with the ".kdbx" files.
• Run KeePass at Windows startup (current user) by checking the box of the same name. This option is useful to use the program with extensions for web browsers.

And finally, in the "Advanced" tab, you can :

• Enable or disable updates at startup through the box "Check for updates at KeePass startup". It's recommended to check this box for safety reasons.
• KeePass start in minimized mode and locked by checking the box highlighted in blue on the image.

9. Disable the password manager built into your web browser

Now that you use KeePass to store your passwords in a secure way, we recommend you disable passwords managers of your web browsers and delete passwords in it (if any). To do this, follow our tutorial "Disable the passwords manager built into your web browsers".

Note : Some extensions for KeePass may not function correctly if the passwords manager built into your web browser is always enabled.