LastPass has one free level, which has helped make it one of the more popular password managers. But that free tier now has some significant limitations.
Starting March 16, LastPass users with the free plan will no longer be able to use the password manager on their phone and Laptop. They will have to choose one type of device.
The free LastPass plan now has two options:
- Desktop only: If you choose the desktop option, you can only access your data from any Mac, Windows, or Linux PC, including desktop PCs or laptops.
- Mobile only: If you choose cellular, you will only be able to access your data from an iPhone, iPad or Android phone / device (such as a Samsung Galaxy phone).
What you can’t do is use LastPass for free on your computer and phone. That won’t work for a lot of people, meaning it’s time to upgrade to a paid plan ($ 36 a year for a single user, $ 48 a year for families) or move your data elsewhere.
There are several other password services that we think are better than LastPass, and one of them is also free. If you’re looking to switch, check out our updated guide to the best password managers. Once you’ve decided where you want your passwords to go, you’ll need to export your data from LastPass and import it into the new service.
How to Export Your LastPass Data
LastPass has two export options: a CSV file or an encrypted file. If you switch to any of the services in our guide, CSV is the option to use.
It is important to note that CSV is a plain text file, which means that for this file that we are going to export, all of your password information is unencrypted, in plain text. Be very careful with this export file. I recommend running the export on your desktop or laptop with the browser extension, but only on a network that you trust. After importing that data into the new password manager, you will need to delete the plain text file.
The easiest way to delete your data is the LastPass web browser extension, which you can download from the LastPass site. Once you’ve installed the browser extension, click the toolbar button in your browser to open the LastPass menu. click on Account options, thereafter Advanced, thereafter ExportYou should then see an option called “LastPass CSV File.” Click on that link and your web browser will save the resulting file to your hard drive.
If you’re using a phone or tablet (or have already chosen the cellular plan), you’ll need to use lastpass.com. Beware. Many browsers will not automatically download the generated file. To use the site, log into your account, expand the sidebar menu on the left and click on the Advanced options menu item. Then click on it Export option, enter your master password and click To sendThis will then open a CSV file in your browser. Some browsers will automatically download this file. If yours doesn’t, select and copy all of them. Then open Notepad (Windows) or Text Editor (MacOS) and paste in the CSV data. Select File> Save As in Notepad or Text Editor and type a name with the extension .csv at the end. Make sure to save it as plain text (not rich text).