{"id":1156,"date":"2022-01-14T22:34:05","date_gmt":"2022-01-14T22:34:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/14\/no-lastpass-isnt-holding-your-passwords-hostage-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2022-01-14T22:34:05","modified_gmt":"2022-01-14T22:34:05","slug":"no-lastpass-isnt-holding-your-passwords-hostage-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/01\/14\/no-lastpass-isnt-holding-your-passwords-hostage-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"No, LastPass Isn\u2019t Holding Your Passwords Hostage \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Maor_Winetrob\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the last few weeks, we\u2019ve seen a lot of \u201cnews\u201d articles and Reddit posts<\/a> claiming that LastPass intentionally prevents free users from exporting their password vault. And although the LastPass export process is a bit confusing, these claims are completely false. LastPass isn\u2019t holding your data hostage.<\/p>\n

All LastPass Users Can Export Their Password Vault<\/h2>\n
\"LastPass
Lastpass<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For those who don\u2019t know, LastPass made significant changes<\/a> to its free password manager service on March 16th of 2021. In past years, free users could enjoy LastPass on all of their devices. But free users now must choose whether they want to use LastPass on the desktop or on their mobile device.<\/p>\n

LastPass mobile users can redeem a free \u201cswitch\u201d if they want to use LastPass on desktop, and vice versa. But LastPass only gives you three switches. Once you\u2019re out of switches, you can\u2019t jump between LastPass mobile and desktop without subscribing to a Premium membership<\/a> tier\u2014and this seems to be the source of customer confusion.<\/p>\n

See, the LastPass mobile app doesn\u2019t let you export passwords for another service. And if you\u2019re a mobile user without any remaining switches, then you can\u2019t access the LastPass browser extension to export your passwords.<\/p>\n

But all<\/em> LastPass users can export passwords from the LastPass website<\/a>. This functionality was introduced on April 8th of 2021, just a few weeks after LastPass changed how its free membership tier works. (And yes, I\u2019ve tested to confirm that this works. There\u2019s a full guide<\/a> at the bottom of this article!)<\/p>\n

So, Why Are LastPass Customers Confused?<\/h2>\n
\"LastPass
Maor_Winetrob\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The free version of LastPass is very confusing, and the company\u2019s recent push for Premium memberships created a lot of distrust within its user base. In other words, we shouldn\u2019t be surprised that some people are wrongly accusing LastPass of holding their data hostage.<\/p>\n

But why is this narrative bubbling up today, nearly a full year after LastPass changed how its free tier works?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the trend I noticed\u2014journalists and Redditors keep pointing to a LastPass support thread<\/a> full of mobile users that can\u2019t export their information. Until January 11th, moderators on this support thread simply applied extra switches to users\u2019 accounts instead of explaining that all<\/em> LastPass users can export their passwords from the LastPass website. (Obviously, this is an example of poor communication from LastPass.)<\/p>\n

I also saw a lot of people complaining about a bug that prevents exports from the LastPass browser extension. Personally, I couldn\u2019t find a way to trigger this bug, but LastPass confirmed that it\u2019s investigating the problem and preparing a fix.<\/p>\n

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Yes, we became aware of this more recent bug and the team began looking into it. We are in the process of releasing a fix to all browser extension stores \u2026 as of 4\/8\/21, free users should be able to export their data by logging in to lastpass.com and utilizing the export feature from there.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

LastPass desktop users experiencing any problems with the browser extension can simply export their data from the LastPass website<\/a>. That said, their confusion and frustration is understandable, given all the misguided stories about LastPass locking down user data.<\/p>\n

How to Export LastPass Passwords with a Free Account<\/h2>\n
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Andrew Heinzman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You don\u2019t need a Premium LastPass account to export your vault to another service. All LastPass users can export their data from the LastPass website, even if they\u2019re free mobile users.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how to export your data from the LastPass website:<\/p>\n

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  1. Visit the LastPass website<\/a> and sign in to your account.<\/li>\n
  2. Click the \u201cAdvanced Options\u201d button on the bottom left side of your screen.<\/li>\n
  3. Select the \u201cExport\u201d option under the \u201cManage Your Vault\u201d header.<\/li>\n
  4. Click on Export.\n