How Long Would It Take to Crack My Password?
Password crack time depends on length, character variety and randomness — not clever substitutions. Learn what really makes a password slow to crack.
The time to crack a password depends mostly on its length and randomness, because each extra character multiplies the number of guesses an attacker must try. A short "clever" password falls fast; a long random one can take longer than the age of the universe.
What actually slows an attacker
- Length — the single biggest factor; every added character multiplies the guesses
- Character variety — mixing upper, lower, digits and symbols enlarges the pool per character
- Randomness — dictionary words and
P@ssw0rd-style swaps are the first things cracking tools try
Why "complexity rules" mislead
Replacing "a" with "@" barely helps — attackers know every substitution. A longer passphrase of random words beats a short cryptic string, and is easier to remember.
Estimating crack time
Crack time is roughly the number of possible passwords divided by guesses-per-second. Entropy (in bits) captures this: under 40 bits is weak, 60–80 is strong, 80+ is effectively uncrackable.
Check yours now
See an entropy score and estimated crack time in the password strength checker, all in your browser. Then generate a strong one with the password generator. Related: How to create strong passwords.