this post was submitted on 05 May 2025
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Burn your passwords onto a DVD in plain text, and seal in an envelope. Anyone can get them, but you'll know if they do so, because the envelope will be torn.
No one will waste time breaking into your house just for a set of passwords, its too risky and too targeted, so its relatively safe.
You can also print the passwords directly on paper.
Yes, this is an option. It requires that your password(s) don't change. Setting up a password store somewhere and granting access to it using this method is a potential solution, but not great.
You can always just reburn a DVD every X months, its pretty low cost apart from the time.
I understand.
I'm not trying to discredit your response, just pointing out that this is not a trivial problem to solve and any quick solutions are unlikely to make this easier for anyone involved.
For example, if you do burn a new DVD as suggested, you just created a versioning and distribution issue for yourself and your loved ones.
Its not wildly different from a will though, there are often multiple wills that change over time.
I dont think its as complex as you think, there is no need to version or distribute anything. You simply tell your loved ones: "In my filing cabinet/bookshelf/firesafe/wherever, there is an printout/dvd/holocube with all my passwords in case I die". Then whenever you feel like updating it, you create a new one, and destroy the old one. No versions, no distribution beyond the knowledge of its existence.
Its not going to be easy dealing with the death of a loved one, but I dont see how this could possible be any easier. Plaintext passwords couldn't be more simple.
I think a note with the master password or key to your password manager in a fireproof safe or safety deposit box (depending on the need for immediate access prior to probate).
Having many passwords means the list needs to be updated constantly. Having the master means whenever you change that one.
Source: dealt with this for my dad when mom passed. Though hers was a spread sheet with handwritten updates. Most of them even worked, but she was a very fastidious person (are you?).
I would ideally do it periodically, but with the full list. The risk with just storing the master password is that underlaying password store gets lost or broken (e.g. bitwarden goes bankrupt, PC storing keepassx dies etc).
The churn aspect is a problem though, its not perfect.