How to reveal hidden passwords in Firefox

Filed under: Internet, Utilities, Browser Tips

How to reveal hidden passwords in Firefox

by Brad Linder Nov 28th 2007

It happens to all of us. We have so many online accounts that we occasionally (or constantly) forget the password to one or more of the sites we regularly visit. Firefox does a great job of remembering your passwords so you don't have to. But what happens if you need to figure out what your password is so you can login with another computer?

Last month we told you about Snadboy's Revelation, which is a great utility for showing the characters hidden behind asterisks in programs like FileZilla. But it doesn't work with Firefox. But it turns out there is a way to find the hidden characters in Firefox. All you need to do is paste a bit of Javascript code into your URL bar. Or you can create a bookmark or bookmarklet by right-clicking on your Bookmark toolbar and creating a new bookmark using the code.

You can find a full explanation at the Raymond.CC Blog. Of course, this does you no good if you've forgotten your username and password and haven't saved them with Firefox. In that case, your best bet is to click the "forgot password" button for the site you're visiting and you'll probably receive a new password via email.

[via AKSN1P3R

Tags: firefox, hidden-passwords, reveal-passwords

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Mark Deab said 11:19AM on 11-28-2007

Or you could go Tools>Options>Sercurity>Show Passwords>Show Passwords

No need for an add on here folks (Unless yoou accidently wrote something and forgot what it was and luckily it was still on the screen :-P)

keeves said 11:27AM on 11-28-2007

...or you could go --> tools / options / security / show passwords / show passwords / yes

Easy

Mark Dean said 11:27AM on 11-28-2007

Great minds think alike!

keeves said 11:27AM on 11-28-2007

(oh, Mark Deab got there first)

GoOrange said 12:10PM on 11-28-2007

Yep, Deab nails it in one. A simple procedure that can save you the hassle of having to click "forgot password" and waiting for the email etc.

Cheers

egf said 1:18PM on 11-28-2007

Or you could use the Unhide Passwords extension.

webjay said 1:45PM on 11-28-2007

I use the Unhide Passwords extension as well: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/462

When a password form has the focus the asterisks are replaced by the real password. Couldn't be much simpler.

freaktech said 2:02PM on 11-28-2007

Or your could get a program called ariskkey that is completely free that will tell you any astrick password on the screen, whether it be in firefox, ie, a windows box, anything

Raymond.CC said 8:24AM on 11-29-2007

What if there's a Master password? You couldn't even use "Show Password" :P

Featured Time Waster

Civiballs is a beautiful, soothing physics puzzle Time Waster

I have an absolute weakness for physics games, and while Civiballs isn't the strongest physics-based game, what it lacks in the physics department it makes up for a few times over in style and fun.

In Civiballs, you are presented with a few colored balls, and your goal is to get those balls into the same-colored urn on the level. The "civi" part of Civiballs is that there are 3 sets of levels to play, each representing a different civilization. While the civilization doesn't affect gameplay, the artwork for each level is beautifully themed to it's appropriate era.

To play the game, you are given only one tool - a sword with which to cut the chains that are holding the balls. The puzzle part of the game is in figuring out what order, and with what timing to cut each chain. Do it right, and all the right balls end up in the right urns, with no stray balls entering an urn (a no-no). Do it wrong, and you get to start over again.

Civiballs is not terribly deep on gameplay; the entire game can be completed in about 15 minutes. But if you enjoy this type of game, it will be a very enjoyable 15 minutes.

View more Time Wasters