Free Password Hint Tracker: Account and Password Hint Log, Digital Legacy Account List, and a Home Wi-Fi and Device Sheet (PDF, Word, Excel)

What is on the password hint tracker

Hint

Something that reminds you without giving the password away, or simply "in password manager". Never the password itself.

2FA method

How the second sign-in step works: authenticator app, text message, security key, passkey or trusted device. If you lose that phone or key, this column tells you which accounts are affected.

Recovery email and phone

Where the account sends reset links and codes. Check these are still current; an old email address is the most common reason people get locked out.

Legacy contact

Many services (Apple, Google, Facebook, password managers) let you name someone who can access or manage the account after you die. Record whether you have set it up.

Guest Wi-Fi

A separate network for visitors and smart devices, with a password you are happy to print and share.

Hints, not passwords

Security experts generally recommend a password manager: one strong master password, and a unique random password for every account, stored and filled in for you. For most accounts the hint column can then simply say "in password manager". What the paper sheet adds is everything around the password: which accounts exist which email each uses, how two-factor sign-in is set up and how to get back in if something breaks. Write a hint only where it is genuinely needed, and make it meaningless to anyone else. Never write the full password, a PIN, an answer to a security question or a set of backup codes on the sheet.

Two-factor sign-in and recovery

Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for email, banking, the password manager, your phone account and anything with stored payment details. An authenticator app, a security key or a passkey is stronger than a text message. Save the backup codes each service gives you somewhere safe and offline, like a fire safe, and note on the sheet where they're. Then check each account's recovery email and phone: if they are out of date, a lost phone can mean losing the account. Ask your mobile carrier to add an account PIN or a port-out lock, which helps protect against SIM-swap fraud.

Planning for your family: a digital legacy

When someone dies or becomes unable to manage their affairs, their family often doesn't know which accounts exist, let alone how to reach them. Photos are lost, subscriptions keep charging, and social media accounts stay open. The digital legacy sheet lists the important accounts with what you want done with each: download and close, memorialize, transfer, keep running. Set up each service's legacy or inactive-account feature where it exists, and the emergency access feature in your password manager. Keep the sheet with your will or estate documents and tell your executor where it's. Most US states have adopted a version of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which lets you give an executor access to digital accounts in your will; an estate attorney can advise on the wording.

Your home network

The home network sheet saves time whenever a guest asks for the Wi-Fi, the internet goes down, or a new device needs setting up. Use a guest network for visitors and, ideally, for smart devices like cameras and doorbells, so they're separated from the computers holding your files. Change the router's default admin password, turn on automatic updates where the router offers them, and replace a router that no longer receives security updates. The devices list shows what is connected and who manages it; anything you don't recognize on the router's device list is worth investigating.

Keeping the sheets safe

Even without passwords, these sheets are useful to a thief: they show which bank you use and how your accounts are protected. Keep them in a locked drawer or fire safe, not on the fridge, and never photograph them into a shared album. If you keep a digital copy, protect the file with a strong password or store it in your password manager. The PDFs are fillable, and the Excel versions can be sorted by account or room.

Questions

Is it safe to write passwords down?

Writing full passwords on paper is risky. This tracker is designed for hints, usernames, 2FA methods and recovery details only; a password manager is the safer place for the passwords themselves.

What is a password hint?

A reminder that means something only to you, such as "in password manager" or a private reference, never the password or part of it.

What is a digital legacy list?

A list of your online accounts and what you want done with each after your death, kept with your will so your executor and family can act on it.

What is a legacy contact?

Someone you nominate in a service such as Apple, Google or Facebook who can access or manage your account after you die.

Should I put the guest Wi-Fi password on the sheet?

Yes, the guest network password is meant to be shared. Keep the main network and router admin passwords in your password manager instead.