Penka Hristovska
Published on: March 1, 2024

Proton has launched a Windows app for users of its password manager, Proton Pass, which allows you to access your account directly from desktop.

Proton’s password manager, which features end-to-end encryption, launched last year in the form of browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Brave, as well as dedicated apps for Android and iOS platforms.

Proton Pass has a free and paid versions. They all include industry-standard features, such as auto-filling and password generation and there are a couple of convenient extras.

The Windows app, specifically, comes with offline mode, which lets you save passwords without having to connect to the internet — though, only if you have a Proton Pass Plus or Unlimited subscription.

“The offline mode is protected using Argon2 encryption, designed to withstand brute-force attacks. This means your passwords are always available and secure, with or without internet access. And like all Proton apps, the Proton Pass Windows app is open source, so anyone can look at the code, allowing us to quickly find and address issues,” Proton explains.

Proton Pass allows you to generate “Memorable” passwords, featuring a mix of words and numbers, or “Random” passwords, blending letters, numbers, and symbols. You have the flexibility to customize these passwords by specifying the number of words or characters, or by selecting a word separator for memorable passwords, such as full stops.

The app also creates email aliases — a randomly-generated email address designed to conceal your actual email address. This functionality enables you to refrain from disclosing your genuine email address when completing online forms and protect your email from online leaks or distribution to third parties.

Proton Pass also features a built-in 2-factor authentication (2FA) authenticator. It securely stores your 2FA codes and conveniently auto-displays and fills them in for you.

If you’re on a macOS or Linux and you’d really like a desktop app, too, there’s more good news: Proton has plans to expand the availability of its password manager to these 2 platforms later this year.