PIN Generator

Random PINs are much safer than birthdays and patterns. Choose a length from 3 to 16 digits and how many you want, and this tool generates them with a secure random source. By default it skips the obvious ones: repeated digits, straight runs like 1234, and a few very common choices.

How to use it

1. Choose the number of digits.
2. Choose how many PINs you want.
3. Keep the easy-to-guess filter on.
4. Press Generate PINs.

When it helps

• Setting a PIN for a phone, card or door lock.
• Making one-time codes for testing.
• Replacing a guessable PIN.
• Codes for shared access.

Good to know

• Use different PINs for different things.
• Longer is much better: six digits has a hundred times as many possibilities as four.
• Don't write a PIN on the card it protects.

How PINs are generated

Each digit is chosen independently by the browser's secure random generator, with every digit from 0 to 9 equally likely. A 4-digit PIN therefore has 10,000 possibilities and a 6-digit PIN a million.

When the easy-PIN filter is on, the tool discards any result with all digits the same, an ascending or descending run, or a repeated half, such as 1212, and draws again.

Worked example: a phone lock

For a phone, choose 6 digits and press Generate. A result like 483 920 is far safer than a birthday. To remember it, say it as three pairs and picture the numbers, or write it somewhere secure that isn't on the phone itself.

Avoid choosing from the list the tool shows by what "looks nice". Pick the first one it generates, or the choice you make is no longer random.

What makes a PIN weak

Analyses of leaked PINs show that people choose a small set again and again: 1234, 1111, 0000, birth years and simple patterns on the keypad. Attackers try those first, so a random PIN beats them.

A PIN is also protected by lockouts. Most devices block after a few wrong tries, which is why even short PINs are reasonably safe if they're not obvious.

Storing PINs safely

A random PIN is hard to remember, which is a good reason to use a password manager that supports notes, or to store it in a secure place at home. Don't save it as a contact or a note with an obvious name.

Change a PIN if you suspect someone saw you enter it, and never share it by text or email.

Choosing length for the situation

Four digits suit a card where the bank limits attempts, six digits suit phones, and longer PINs suit anything without lockouts, like a door code you share. Match the length to the risk.

Resetting a PIN

If a PIN has been shared or seen, change it as soon as you can. Many banks and phones let you do this in settings, so choose a new random one.

Questions