Password Manager KeePass 2.52 is out

Martin Brinkmann
Sep 10, 2022
Windows software
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20

KeePass 2.52 is the newest stable version of the popular password manager. The new release introduces new features and improvements to the application, including improved importing support for passwords from other password managers, a new copy initial password option, and more.

Check out my review of KeePass if you are new to the application. It has been my password manager of choice for a long time. Main reasons for that are that it is a local application with optional cloud syncing support, extensible through a ton of extensions and apps, well designed and more secure than online password managers.

KeePass 2.52 is available as a download from the official project website. You may get an update notification in the program itself, but need to download and install the update manually.

KeePass 2.52: the changes

You may check out the full release notes here. It is a long list. Check out the key improvements in KeePass 2.52 below:

  • New Copy Initial Password option in the Entry dialog under Tools. Activation copies the password that was active when the Entry dialog was opened to the clipboard. Entry allows users to change passwords, but KeePass keeps track of the password history.
  • The number of attachments is now displayed in the Attachment menu when multiple entries are selected.
  • The History tab of the entry dialog displays the time a password was last changed.
  • Firefox placeholder supports the Microsoft Store versions of Firefox now.
  • Support for importing passwords from 1Password, Key Folder, Sticky Password, Steganos Password Manager and Bitwarden improved.
  • KeePass checks the configuration file in the new version and displays warnings if issues are detected.
  • Improvements to the plugin system (load header of a database file easier, and subscribe to a master key change event).
  • Saved Attached File(s) To renamed to Save File(s) To and moved to Attachments submenu under Entry. Command is only visible if at least one attachment is detected.

Closing Words

KeePass 2.52 makes small adjustments to the password manager, which improve some key features of the application. The new version does not introduce a killer feature in the app, but since it worked well for so long, it may be difficult to come up with new features that would improve the password manager further.

Now You: which password manager do you use?

Summary
Password Manager KeePass 2.52 is out
Article Name
Password Manager KeePass 2.52 is out
Description
KeePass 2.52 is the newest stable version of the popular password manager. It improves imports from other password apps and more.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Clairvaux said on September 12, 2022 at 9:04 pm
    Reply

    > it may be difficult to come up with new features that would improve the password manager further.

    I strongly disagree. While it’s impressive to see the number of features and corrections regularly added, there are plenty of stupid features or user interface characteristics which never get corrected.

    Just quoting a few :

    – The tags feature is unusable. I defy anyone to use it if one really wants to apply and manage tags actively. It has never been enhanced since Mathusalem.

    – There is no way to reset the settings to default (Options menu).

    – There is no way to search for a particular setting.

    The two latter defects are especially problematic, since the number of settings is huge, and a lot of them have security consequences. I want to be able to revert automatically to what Kee Pass considers as the right security settings.

    – The option to Enter Master Key on Secure Desktop is not activated by default (as far as I can remember : since there’s no way to reset to default, it’s not easy to check).

    – There’s no integrated help for all those settings, and I seriously doubt all of them are explained in the online help, either.

    – The website is a mess. There’s no search field to being with, for God’s sake.

    – The user interface is comically bad. There are so many settings, that the Options box now has two similar tabs, Interface 1 and Interface 2. In a similar vein, the website has an Administrative FAQ and a Technical FAQ, which could be excused, if “administrative FAQ” had a clear meaning, which it hasn’t. But then you also have an Additional FAQ, and this is a capital offense as far as the user interface is concerned.

    1. comically_sad_blurry_view said on September 13, 2022 at 12:23 pm
      Reply

      What’s your software project to compare with, developed over so many years with hundred thousands users?

      1. Clairvaux said on September 14, 2022 at 1:55 am
        Reply

        I don’t understand your question.

        If you have useful advice regarding workarounds about the issues I raised, it would be welcome.

  2. VioletMoon said on September 12, 2022 at 4:45 am
    Reply

    Yes, I already know the cons, but I’ll stick with Avira:

    “Avira Password Manager Free is secure, intuitive, and provides unlimited password storage across multiple devices. It has 256-bit AES encryption, a zero-knowledge policy, and offers biometric login for mobile devices and a built-in TOTP authenticator.”

    I like the “biometric” feature.

  3. Dustyn said on September 11, 2022 at 4:01 am
    Reply

    KeePass is the best password manager hands down.

  4. Stephen said on September 11, 2022 at 1:14 am
    Reply

    I have used KeePass for many many years. No matter what you want to mention as hoped for add-ons or features or whatever, the bottom line is this is the most solid password manager around!

  5. Mothy said on September 10, 2022 at 10:21 pm
    Reply

    Thank you Martin for the article and notice of a new version. I’ve been using KeePass (portable) for a long time as well but was still on version 2.41. I just updated to 2.52 and all works well yet.

  6. Claymore said on September 10, 2022 at 8:31 pm
    Reply

    And sadly still no TOTP (2FA) out of the box. Just why? KeePassXC has it. Whilst the original KeePass is one of the best in its class: I don’t want to rely on plugins.

  7. Henk said on September 10, 2022 at 2:21 pm
    Reply

    For passwords management, KeePass is my absolute favorite. Safe, simple, dependable, saving your data offline, and much easier to use than some people still seem to think. I ardently hope they will keep resisting the temptation to change their no-frills UI for a more flashy one (you know, those with an empty sea of white where you always have to search for the right icons).

  8. Jojo said on September 10, 2022 at 9:16 am
    Reply

    Keypass should add a create date to each new entry for record keeping.

    It should also add an email fie,d because almost every new entry is associated with an email address.

    1. TelV said on September 10, 2022 at 10:41 am
      Reply

      @ Jojo,

      In the first column right click the “Title” header —> “Configure columns” –> checkmark the options you want to see such as “Creation date” for example.

      1. Jojo said on September 10, 2022 at 10:48 pm
        Reply

        I did not know this!

        However, when I turned on the email column, I see that it is populated with email addresses but am not 100% sure how that is happening.

        What I have done forever is to add “Email: xxxxx” to the Notes section. So it looks like the email column is picking up that data to populate the field?

        Why doe sit do this?

        Second, there is an “Email Addr” column that is default blocked by asterisks. What is this column for?

      2. Anonymous said on September 11, 2022 at 1:54 am
        Reply

        Its coming from custom string fields and the protect by memory option.

        Each entry may have an arbitrary number of custom string fields. Such a field consists of a name and a value. The name must be unique (within the entry).

        In the main window, the value of a custom string field can be copied into the clipboard by right-clicking on the entry, pointing on ‘Other Data’ and clicking on the name of the custom string field (this is also possible via the menu ‘Entry’).

        The value of a custom string field can also be used in an auto-type sequence; see the placeholders help page. For example, the value of a custom string field named ‘BIC’ (acronym for Business Identifier Code) can be inserted using the ‘{S:BIC}’ placeholder.

        In database files, custom string fields are stored in encrypted form (see ‘Database Encryption’). The option ‘Protect value in process memory’ (in the custom string field dialog) allows to activate/deactivate the process memory protection for the value of the custom string field. Activating this protection induces certain limitations (e.g. the value must be hidden using asterisks for the protection to be effective) and increases the time required by various operations. Therefore, it should be activated only for really sensitive data (e.g. a second password).

        File attachments. You can attach arbitrary files to an entry.

        Attached files are stored within the database file in encrypted form (see ‘Database Encryption’). When importing a file as attachment, KeePass does not delete the source file; you need to delete it yourself, if desired.

        This feature is intended to store few/small files (e.g. registration files, public/private key pair files, etc.). Encrypting many/large files is considered to be out of the scope of a password manager and it is recommended to use a specialized file encryption software (e.g. VeraCrypt) for this task instead (KeePass can be used to store the password for the encrypted file container).

        Source: https://keepass.info/help/v2/entry.html#adv

      3. David Mach said on September 10, 2022 at 1:50 pm
        Reply

        I’m leaving KeePass after years of using it, because it’s missing a Linux version…

      4. Rex said on September 12, 2022 at 8:08 am
        Reply

        Linux Mint user here. I use KeyPassXC. On Android (phone and tablet) I use Keepass2Android (available in the Play Store). I keep the data file on my web server so I can always access it. No web server, just use Google drive or OneDrive etc. I’m not worried that somebody can download it because without my password and the Key File (not on web server) you will never be able to open it.
        My girlfriend uses an iPhone with an iPhone KeyPass app and stores her file on her iDrive. She can access it in Windows using the Windows iDrive app and KeyPass. There is lots of flexibility here, you just have to figure out how you want to use it.

      5. dun74 said on September 10, 2022 at 7:50 pm
        Reply

        For Linux, the KeePassXC is a great replacement

      6. thebrowser said on September 10, 2022 at 4:10 pm
        Reply

        @David Mach,

        The Linux version is KeePassXC: https://keepassxc.org/ (also works for Windows and MacOS).
        For Android you can se KeePassDX: https://www.keepassdx.com/

        @Martin or @Ashwin,

        If you can please remove this part, and my previous comment before as I was to quick to hit reply. Thanks.

      7. Henk said on September 10, 2022 at 2:31 pm
        Reply

        In most major Linux versions (Debian, Ubuntu etc.) KeePass will run fine under Mono. In some Linux versions you may need to install Mono first. See:
        https://keepass.info/help/v2/setup.html#mono

    2. Leak said on September 10, 2022 at 9:41 am
      Reply

      That’s been there for ages – each entry has both a creation and last modification time…

    3. Anonymous said on September 10, 2022 at 9:31 am
      Reply

      It does? Just add the creation time and email column.

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