Looking for an app to store your passwords? Secrets is a good choice for those using GNOME desktop.

“Secrets” is a free open-source password manager that integrates perfectly with GNOME desktop and provides a modern and easy to use user interface. It’s formerly Password Safe (nothing to do with pwsafe). Since v6.0, it’s called Secrets.

Secrets:

Secrets is a GTK4 app using libadwaita library to provide an adaptive UI. With it, user may create or open KeePass v4 format database in “.kdbx” files. And, it supports AES, Twofish, and ChaCha20 256-bit encryption algorithms.

Secrets add new or open database

The “.kdbx” file is used to store your passwords. While creating it, user may choose to secure it via password, key file, or password and key combination.

Secure database with password, key, or their combination

Then, each time you open the database or back from inactive, it asks for unlock the database before accessing your passwords.

Need to unlock when back from inactive

After creating / opening a database, user may add as many password entries or groups as possible. It allows to assign a color, icon, and add attachments for each entry. As well, it supports OTP tokens and expiration dates.

Assign color, icon, add attachments, & support one-time password, expiration date

All password entries are listed in the home of the database, with buttons to quickly copy username or password into clipboard. And, the data will be cleared from clipboard 30 seconds later.

Password Entries

Install Secrets:

Actually I don’t use a password manager app, because I use similar accounts and passwords in different websites. And, I wrote them down in plain text 😓. The Gnome Secrets looks really good. Maybe I’ll store passwords with it. The only downside however is that it’s only available via Flatpak package.

1. Open terminal by searching from ‘Activities’ overview. When it opens, run command to install the flatpak daemon:

sudo apt install flatpak

2. Next, install the app via command:

flatpak install https://dl.flathub.org/repo/appstream/org.gnome.World.Secrets.flatpakref

There will be hundreds of MB more install, if you’re first time installing GTK apps via Flatpak.

Once installed, search for and open it from ‘Activities’ overview and enjoy!

Uninstall Secrets:

To remove the app, simply open terminal and run command:

flatpak uninstall --delete-data org.gnome.World.Secrets

And run flatpak uninstall --unused to remove useless runtime libraries.

KeePass Password Safe 2.49 released with user interface improvements and minor new features. Here’s how to install it in Ubuntu via PPA.

According to the release note, the new release added new dedicated context menus for custom string fields and auto-type associations in the entry dialog. Allows to copy names, values, target windows and sequences, copy and paste items, and do select all and move to actions. The button “More” is present to the right of the custom string fields and auto-type associations list to show the context menu.

The release also added optional “Auto-Type – Enabled” and “Auto-Type – Sequences” main entry list column. They are disabled by default and can be turned on via menu “View -> Configure Columns”.

KeePass 2.49 added support for importing Keeper 16.0.0 JSON files, and automatic screen reader detection based on the operating system’s screen reader parameter. Other changes include:

• New ‘Show confirmation dialog when opening a database file whose minor format version is unknown’ option.
• Dialog banners can now be read by screen readers
• Added accessibility names for some controls
• Controls in the accessibility/automation control tree are now ordered by their visual locations
• Various accessibility enhancements and other improvements.

How to Install KeePass 2.49 in Ubuntu:

KeePass 2.x runs on Linux through Mono, the open-source .NET Framework-compatible software framework. The UI looks old. If you don’t like it, try KeePassX the native Linux password manager.

The software does not provide Linux binary package so far. Besides building from the source, you can use the unofficial Ubuntu PPA.

NOTE: I offer no warranty for any package in the PPA. Build rules and patches borrowed from the Julian Taylor’s PPA. Use it at your own risk.

1.) Firstly, open terminal from start menu and run command to add the PPA:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2

Type user password when it asks since sudo command need user authentication and hit Enter to continue

2.) Then run command to update package cache, though it’s done automatically in Ubuntu 20.04 & higher while adding PPA:

sudo apt update

3.) Finally install this mono based password manager package by running command:

sudo apt install keepass2

By keeping the Ubuntu PPA, next time a new release is published you’ll be able to upgrade it using system’s Software Updater (Update Manager) utility.

Uninstall KeePass2:

To remove the software package, run command in terminal:

sudo apt remove --autoremove keepass2

And remove the Ubuntu PPA either via command in temrinal:

sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:ubuntuhandbook1/keepass2

or by launching “Software & Updates” utility and removing the relevant line under “Other Software” tab.