How to Share Passwords Securely in 2025

Sharing passwords is something we all need to do. Whether it's giving a colleague access to a shared account, sending login credentials to a client, or sharing a streaming service password with family—the need comes up regularly. The problem is that most people do it wrong, putting their accounts and sensitive data at risk.

Why traditional methods fail

Before we look at secure methods, let's understand why common approaches are dangerous.

Email is probably the most common way people share passwords. It's also one of the worst. Emails are stored indefinitely on servers, can be forwarded to anyone, and are often unencrypted in transit. If someone gets into your email account years from now, they'll find every password you ever sent.

Text messages aren't much better. SMS isn't encrypted and can be intercepted. Messages persist on devices and carrier servers. And phones get lost, stolen, or compromised.

Slack and Teams feel private, but messages are stored in searchable company archives. Administrators can access them. Former employees might still have copies. It's not designed for sensitive data.

Shared documents like Google Docs or Notion pages seem convenient, but passwords sitting there can be accessed by anyone with document access—which often includes more people than you realize.

The secure approach: one-time links

One-time links solve the fundamental problem of password sharing: persistence. When you send a password through a one-time link, the password is encrypted and stored temporarily. Once the recipient views it, the link is destroyed and the password is permanently deleted.

This means there's no email sitting in an inbox, no message in a chat history, no document that could be accessed later. The password exists only long enough to be delivered.

Good one-time link services also use end-to-end encryption. Your password is encrypted in your browser before it ever leaves your device. The server only stores encrypted data it can't read. The encryption key is part of the URL itself (in the fragment after the # symbol), which browsers never send to servers.

How to share a password securely

Here's the process:

1. Go to Burn the Secret.io and enter the password you want to share.
2. Optionally add a passphrase for extra security. The recipient will need this to view the password.
3. Choose how many views to allow and when the link should expire.
4. Click "Create Secret Link" to generate an encrypted, one-time link.
5. Send the link to your recipient through any channel.

Even if the link is intercepted, the encryption protects the content. And if you use a passphrase, send it through a different channel (link via email, passphrase via text) for additional security.

Best practices

A few tips to make password sharing even more secure:

• Use a separate channel for the passphrase. Send the link via email and the passphrase via text, or vice versa.
• Set the shortest expiration time that makes sense. If your recipient will see it within an hour, don't let the link live for a week.
• Ask the recipient to confirm when they've retrieved the password. This way you know it wasn't intercepted by someone else.
• Use unique passwords for each account. Never share a master password or one that you use elsewhere.
• Consider if the person really needs ongoing access. Sometimes it's better to change the password after sharing so they only have temporary access.

When to use secure password sharing

One-time links are ideal for:

• Sharing login credentials with a new team member or contractor
• Sending API keys or access tokens to developers
• Providing temporary access to accounts for troubleshooting
• Sharing WiFi passwords with guests
• Sending credentials to clients after project completion
• Sharing family account passwords securely

Ready to share a password securely? Create a secure link on Burn the Secret.