You install the app, import twelve sites, then hit a bank that demands SMS anyway. Momentum dies; old reused passwords survive in a notebook. Password managers help only when migration reaches the accounts that matter on a bad day.
The master password is the real key. Lose it and the vault is a brick. No vendor can ethically recover it. Write recovery instructions on paper stored where a house flood will not take both paper and devices at once.
Where rollouts stall
Shared streaming logins never moved because “everyone knows it.” Rotate to a shared vault entry with roles instead of texting passwords forever.
Two-factor codes still tied to an old phone number. Update 2FA before you delete the previous device, or you lock yourself out mid-migration.
Browser autofill left on alongside the manager, filling stale entries and hiding which system is authoritative.
Work and personal mixed in one vault without tags. One export for a job interview accidentally includes medical portals.
A sequence that finishes
Week one: email, bank, phone carrier, cloud storage. Week two: shopping and travel. Week three: hobbies and forums. Delete duplicate saves from notes as you go.
Generate unique passwords on change; do not mass-randomize every login on day one unless you enjoy password resets.
Store recovery codes inside the vault as secure notes linked to the service. Screenshot folders on the desktop are a brittle plan.
Test unlock on a second device early. Discover sync issues before travel, not at hotel Wi‑Fi.
Family plans need an inheritance plan: who gets emergency access, with what delay, and which relative refuses to use biometrics.
Security tools reward boring completion rates, not heroic installs. Finish the boring list and your future self handles one breach notification with a yawn instead of a weekend panic.
