Managing Passwords with KWallet Manager

Contents

8.1. Starting KWallet
8.2. Managing Your Passwords
8.3. Adjusting KWallet Settings
8.4. Copying Your Wallet to Another Computer

Remembering all the passwords for protected resources to which you need to log in can be problematic. KWallet remembers them for you. KWallet is a password management tool that can collect all passwords and stores them in an encrypted file. With a single master password, open your wallet to view, search, delete, or create entries.

[Important]Protect Your KWallet Password

If you forget your KWallet password, it cannot be recovered. Furthermore, anyone who knows your password can obtain all information contained in the wallet.

Starting KWallet

When you enter a password in a KDE application for the first time (in KMail or Konqueror, for example), you are asked if you want to store the password in an encrypted wallet. If you click Yes, the KWallet wizard starts by default. KWallet is a password management tool that can collect all passwords and store them in an encrypted file.

To activate KWallet, select Basic Setup and click Next. Select Yes, I wish to use the KDE wallet to store my personal information and enter a password. This is your master password to open KWallet. It cannot be recovered if you forget it. Click Finish to close the wizard. After this initial configuration, you can open your wallet at any time to view, search, delete, or create entries. Normally you do not need to insert an entry manually. KDE recognizes if a resource requires authentication and KWallet starts automatically, prompting you for the KWallet password. Of course, you can also use KWallet to store additional passwords by adding entries, as described in Procedure 8.1, “Adding New Entries to Your Wallet”.

By default, all passwords are stored in one wallet, kdewallet, but you can also add new wallets. Once configured, KWallet appears in the panel. You can also start KWallet manually by pressing Alt+F2 and entering kwalletmanager.