A Password Vault on a Shared Desktop Is a Different Product

The living room is a multi-user system

Laptops in backpacks are almost single-user. The desktop by the TV is a kiosk with your taxes on it. Auto-fill on that machine is a group password.

Browser-saved passwords on a shared Chrome profile are the amateur version of the same mistake. A real vault is only better if it locks.

From the record

If the computer has no user accounts, the vault is the only adult in the room. Set a timer.

GUIDEORA rule for shared PCs

Boring controls that work

Separate OS logins. Vault lock on idle. No biometric unlock if the 'biometric' is a sibling's face on a cheap camera. Logout of the vault when you stand up. Guest browser for kids.

• Do not leave the vault unlocked 'because it is home.'
• A PIN that is the address is not a PIN.
• Work vaults do not belong on the family desktop.
• Passkeys on a shared machine need the same lock story.

Bitwarden as a lockable vault

Bitwarden currently lets you set vault timeouts and a master password you actually remember. That is why it is here: an unlock story you can make strict on a kiosk PC. Confirm live timeout names on desktop vs browser extension.

The browser extension on a shared profile is still a shared extension. Prefer the desktop app plus OS accounts.

Lock the kiosk

Give people OS logins. Then a short vault timeout. Bitwarden is the example. GUIDEORA does not sit on the couch.