Google Chrome: Display passwords on focus
Passwords that you enter in the Google Chrome web browser, or in any other browser for that matter, are always hidden behind asterisks. Why that is done? So that no passer by can catch a glimpse of the password that you are entering right now. That's great when you are working in public places, on public computer systems or anywhere else where someone may be able to look at your computer screen.
It has no real use if you are sitting in front of your computer in a location where no one can see or access it. Well, theoretically, someone could make screenshots of what you enter but a keylogger would probably be better in this regard as well.
Sometimes you may come into a situation where you can't remember the password anymore, or where the website you try to sign in at returns an error that the password is wrong. Since you cannot access the password directly, you can't really look at it or verify it this way.
That's where Show Password on Focus comes into play for the Chrome browser. It keeps the asterisk protection in place for as long as the password field is not focused in Chrome. Once you activate it with a click, it is immediately revealed so that you can look at it or copy it.
This can be helpful to check that the password that you have entered is indeed the right one - think Caps Lock for example or spelling errors - and if you need the password for use in another device, website or application. While there are other options to retrieve it, this may be the fastest way to do so.
Since you can look up saved passwords in Chrome itself, it is mostly useful to make sure that passwords that you enter are correct.
Tips
- To hide the password again, click anywhere else on the page. This replaces the text with asterisks again so that it is protected from prying eyes.
- You can access all saved passwords in Chrome by opening the saved passwords page: chrome://settings/passwords. Just click on the website first and then on the Show link next to the password field to reveal it.
- Tools like Snadboy's Revelation or Nirsoft's Asterisk Logger offer the same functionality on the desktop.
Good security feature, just another reason to stick with Chrome.