Password tracker template: log every account without the risk

The short answer: A password tracker template is a simple, consistent page for recording every online account your household uses: the website or app, the username or email you sign in with, a password or a hint, and how two-step sign-in works. Used well, it ends the "forgot password" loop without making your accounts easier to break into. The trick is knowing what to write down and what to leave off.

If you'd like a ready-made one tonight, the Password & Accounts Log ($3.99, printable PDF) is organized by category and A to Z, with room for hints instead of full passwords.

Below is what to record, a filled-in example, how to keep a paper tracker safe, and how it fits alongside a password manager.

What's included in the Password & Accounts Log

• Keep it secure
• Email & Phone
• Banking & Bills
• Shopping
• Social Media
• Streaming & Apps
• Home Wi-Fi & devices
• Accounts A-D
• Accounts E-H
• Accounts I-L
• Accounts M-P
• Accounts Q-T
• Accounts U-Z
• Notes

Printable PDF, $3.99. Instant download; nothing is shipped. See every page on the product page.

Who it's for

• Families who share accounts, like streaming, utilities and the kids' school portals, and keep hitting "forgot password."
• Older parents and grandparents who prefer paper to an app, and the adult kids who get the "I'm locked out" calls.
• Anyone building a household or emergency binder who wants the login page done the same afternoon.
• People setting up a password manager who want a one-time list of every account to move over.
• Caregivers and executors who may one day need to know which accounts exist, even without the passwords.

How to fill in a password tracker template, step by step

1. Start with the accounts that matter most. Email, phone carrier, bank, credit cards and utilities come first. Your email account is usually how every other password gets reset, so give it the most care.
2. Write the website and username for each one. Record the exact web address or app name and the username or email you sign in with. That alone solves many lockouts.
3. Write a hint, not the full password. For banking, email and anything sensitive, write a reminder only you would understand, or a note like "in the password manager." See why hints beat full passwords below.
4. Note how two-step sign-in works. Write which method each account uses (text, authenticator app, security key) and where the backup codes are stored, without writing the codes themselves on a page that sits out.
5. Add Wi-Fi, router and device logins. Your network name, the router admin page and smart devices belong on their own page. Our guide on how to change wifi password shows where to find each one.
6. File everything else A to Z. Shopping, social media, streaming and one-off accounts go on the alphabetical pages, so you can find them in seconds.
7. Date every change and store it somewhere private. Write the date next to each update, keep the tracker out of sight at home and review it twice a year.

What a password tracker template should include

Every account gets the same set of fields, so you're never hunting through scribbled notes. These are the lines worth having, and why:

Leave off full card numbers, Social Security numbers and two-step backup codes. Those belong with your important papers, not on a page you open every week.

Why hints beat full passwords

A paper tracker can't be hacked online, which is a real advantage. Its weak point is the physical page: a visitor, a contractor or a move where a box goes missing. Hints shrink that risk.

A good hint means something to you and nothing to anyone else. "Dog's name + the year we moved + !" works. "Same as the bank" doesn't, because it tells a reader that two accounts share a password. Some families use a simple rule: full passwords for low-risk logins (a recipe site, a store loyalty account) and hints only for email, banking, investment, health and government accounts.

Your email deserves the most protection of all. It's usually the account every other password reset goes through, so if someone gets into your email, they can often get into everything else.

How to make strong passwords you can still track

The best tracker in the world can't fix weak passwords. CISA's guidance is to use strong passwords that are long, random and unique, at least 16 characters, with a different one for every account. A passphrase of four or more random words is an easy way to hit that length and still remember it.

Current federal guidance has also moved away from the old "change it every 90 days" habit. NIST's authentication guidelines favor longer passwords and say systems shouldn't force routine changes unless there's evidence a password was compromised. For a home tracker, that means fewer updates, and the ones you do write down are more meaningful: you changed it because something happened.

Add two-step sign-in wherever it's offered, starting with email and banking. CISA calls it multifactor authentication and explains that it protects an account even when a password is stolen. On your tracker, write which method each account uses, such as a text code or an authenticator app, so you're never stuck when you get a new phone.

A filled-in password tracker example

The entries below are an EXAMPLE only, with made-up accounts and hints, to show how the fields work together.

Notice what the example does: the sensitive accounts get hints or a pointer to the password manager, the low-risk family logins are written in full to save the hassle, and every row has a date.

Organize it by category, then A to Z

Most people look up the same 15 or 20 accounts over and over. Put those in categories, then file everything else alphabetically. This is the setup the HomeBase log uses:

• Email & Phone: your email accounts, phone carrier and cloud account (the keys to everything else).
• Banking & Bills: bank, credit cards, utilities, insurance, loans. Pair this page with a bill tracker so due dates live in one place.
• Shopping: stores, delivery apps, loyalty programs.
• Social Media: each platform and which email it's tied to.
• Streaming & Apps: subscriptions, with a note on who in the family uses each one.
• Home Wi-Fi & devices: network name, router login, smart TV, doorbell, printer. Our how to change wifi password guide shows where to find each one.
• Accounts A to Z: everything else, from the dentist portal to the library card.

A notes page at the back is the place for the security question answers you've made up (a fake answer only you know is safer than your real hometown) and the list of accounts you've closed.

Paper, spreadsheet or password manager?

There isn't one right answer for every household, so here's an honest comparison.

Many families use two of these together. A password manager holds the passwords, and a paper tracker holds the account list, the hints and the "where is everything" notes for the person who might one day need them. If you're moving to a manager, a paper list of every account is the easiest way to make sure nothing gets left behind.

If you do keep a spreadsheet, protect the file and the account it lives in with a strong unique password and two-step sign-in, keep hints rather than passwords for sensitive accounts, and never email it to yourself.

Keeping a paper password tracker safe

• Store it out of sight. A drawer, a locked filing cabinet or a home safe, not taped beside the computer.
• Don't label it "passwords." A plain cover or the back section of a home management binder draws less attention.
• Keep it at home. Not in a purse, wallet or glove box.
• Tell one trusted person where it is. If you're ever in the hospital, someone may need to pay a bill or reach your email. An emergency binder is a natural place to note where it's kept.
• Review it twice a year. Cross out closed accounts, add new ones and check that the dates make sense.
• Shred old pages. When you reprint a fresh copy, shred the old one rather than tossing it in recycling.

Helping a parent set one up

If you're the family member who gets the "I'm locked out again" calls, an hour at the kitchen table can save months of them. Bring a printed tracker, start with email and banking, and let your parent write the entries in their own handwriting so they can read it later. Turn on two-step sign-in for their email while you're together. For larger, easier-to-read lines, our large print password book for seniors guide covers what to look for, and the Password Logbook paperback ($9.99) has three roomy entries per page.

It's also a good moment to talk about what else the family would need if something happened. Our if something happens to me binder guide walks through accounts, insurance, bills and wishes.

Which HomeBase password tracker fits

• Password & Accounts Log ($3.99): a 15-page printable PDF in US Letter and A4, with a "Keep it secure" page, category pages for email and phone, banking and bills, shopping, social media, streaming and apps, and home Wi-Fi and devices, six A to Z pages and a notes page. Every box has website or app, username or email, password or hint, and notes or 2FA method. Print as many copies as you need for your household.
• Password Logbook (paperback, $9.99): a bound A to Z book with large, roomy lines, for anyone who'd rather not print at home.
• Home Management Bundle ($16.99, or $32.94 if you bought the items separately): the Password & Accounts Log plus the Household Binder, Home Maintenance Log, Home Inventory, Cleaning Schedule and Moving Planner, for building the whole household binder at once.

A password tracker is an organizing tool, not a security product. Use strong, unique passwords and two-step sign-in, and keep the tracker private. Browse all of our templates, or see the full home organizing shop.