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LoginScout vs a spreadsheet for game logins
A spreadsheet is free, flexible and already open in another tab, which is why so many players keep their Steam, Epic and Roblox logins in one. Here is when that is fine, when it quietly puts every account at risk, and what LoginScout does differently.
Official sites: Google Sheets· Microsoft Excel
| Topic | LoginScout | Spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|
| Primary job | One card per login you own, with the platform, email, password, 2FA and recovery notes together | Rows and columns you design yourself, for anything |
| Who can read it | Encrypted in your browser (AES-256-GCM) before it syncs. Not zero-knowledge: see /security for how the PIN and Google sign-in modes work. | Anyone who can open the file: your Google or Microsoft account, a share link, or a synced laptop |
| 2FA codes | Generates authenticator (TOTP) codes from secrets you import, saved on this device | Stores text only. It cannot make a code, and a pasted 2FA secret sits in plain text. |
| Old passwords | Editing a password replaces it. There is no file history to share or leak. | Version history can keep a password after you overwrite the cell |
| Account limit | Free: 5. Premium: 100. | As many rows as you like |
| Moving in or out | Imports a CSV with name, URL, username, password, notes and TOTP columns; exports encrypted backups | Exports to CSV |
| Browser autofill | No. You copy from the vault. | No |
| Pricing | Free at 5 accounts; Premium $4.99/mo or $49/year as shown on /pricing | Not listed here. Check Google’s and Microsoft’s own pages for current plans. |
Why so many gamers keep logins in a spreadsheet
It starts with three accounts and a notes app, and ends with a sheet called “accounts” with columns for game, email, password and “which phone has the 2FA”. It costs nothing, you can sort it, and you can add a column for anything: the region of a Valorant account, the console linked to an Epic login, the date you made an alt.
For a small list that only you can open, that is a reasonable system. The trouble is that game libraries rarely stay small, and the sheet slowly becomes the most valuable file you own without being protected like one.
Where a password spreadsheet lets you down
Everything in it is readable text. Whoever gets into the Google or Microsoft account that owns the file, or the laptop that keeps a synced copy, can read every login at once. One phished email password becomes every game account you have.
Sharing is one click away. “Anyone with the link” is a normal setting in Google Sheets, and links end up in Discord chats and screenshots. Version history is another leak people forget: changing a password in a cell does not erase the old one from earlier versions of the file.
A sheet also cannot do the part that protects accounts today: it cannot generate 2FA codes, and pasting an authenticator secret or a list of backup codes into it hands the second factor to whoever reads the first.
If you keep the spreadsheet, harden it
Turn on 2FA for the Google or Microsoft account that owns the file, and never use a share link for it. In Excel on the desktop you can encrypt the workbook with a password (File, Info, Protect Workbook, Encrypt with Password); lose that password and the file is gone, so store it somewhere separate.
Keep authenticator secrets and backup codes out of the sheet entirely. Put them on paper or in a vault, so one leaked file is not a full set of keys. And when you retire an account, delete the row instead of leaving an old password lying around.
Moving a spreadsheet into LoginScout
Save the sheet as a CSV file with column headers such as name, URL, username, password and notes. In LoginScout, open Import and choose Generic CSV; the importer maps those columns, plus a TOTP column if you have one, and shows a preview before anything is saved.
A CSV export is plain text, so delete it (and empty the trash) once the import is done. The free plan holds 5 accounts and Premium holds 100. If your list is bigger than that, keep the spreadsheet or a general password manager for the overflow.
Spreadsheet or vault: how to choose
A locked-down spreadsheet is fine for a handful of accounts that never touch 2FA secrets. Once you are juggling alts across launchers, each with its own email, authenticator and recovery details, a vault that encrypts the data and keeps the 2FA codes next to the login is the safer home.
Be honest about scale. LoginScout Premium stops at 100 accounts and does not autofill your browser. If you need more than that, or you live in browser autofill, a general password manager may suit you better than either option here.
- Is it safe to store passwords in Google Sheets?
- Only as safe as the Google account and your sharing settings. Anyone who gets into that account, or receives a share link, can read every password, and version history keeps old ones. If you do it, turn on 2FA for the Google account and never share the file.
- Can I password-protect an Excel file of passwords?
- Yes. Excel on the desktop can encrypt a workbook with a password from File, Info, Protect Workbook, Encrypt with Password. If you forget that password, the file cannot be opened, so keep it somewhere safe and separate.
- Can I import my password spreadsheet into LoginScout?
- Yes. Save it as a CSV with columns such as name, URL, username, password and notes, then choose Import and Generic CSV. Delete the CSV afterwards, because it is plain text.
- Is LoginScout free?
- Free covers up to 5 accounts with notes, authenticator codes, encrypted sync and backups. Premium is $4.99/month or $49/year for up to 100 accounts, plus a private temp mailbox and burner SMS.