How Long Should a Password Be?
A practical target is at least 16 characters for most important accounts. You can create one instantly with our secure password generator and store it in a password manager.
Recommended strong password length
For modern password security, 16+ characters is a strong baseline. For high-value accounts (email, banking, admin access), 20+ characters is even better when supported.
Brute force: why length matters so much
Brute-force attacks try huge numbers of combinations. Every extra character multiplies the search space, so cracking time grows quickly. That is why secure password length often matters more than clever substitutions.
Entropy in simple terms
Entropy is a measure of unpredictability. Longer passwords with mixed character types have higher entropy, meaning attackers need more guesses. A random 20-character password usually has far more entropy than a short phrase with symbols added.
Weak vs strong length examples
Weak lengths: 8-10 characters are easier for automated tools to crack, especially if patterns are predictable.
Stronger lengths: 16-24 random characters offer much better resistance and are practical with autofill tools. Use our random password generator when you need to generate a strong password quickly.