How to create a password entry field using Tkinter?

When creating user interfaces with Tkinter, you often need a secure password entry field that hides the user's input. Tkinter's Entry widget provides a simple solution using the show parameter to mask password characters.

Creating a Basic Password Field

The key to creating a password field is using the show parameter in the Entry widget. This parameter specifies which character to display instead of the actual input ?

from tkinter import *

# Create an instance of tkinter frame
win = Tk()

# Set the geometry of frame
win.geometry("600x250")
win.title("Password Entry Example")

def close_win():
    win.destroy()

# Create a text label
Label(win, text="Enter the Password", font=('Helvetica', 20)).pack(pady=20)

# Create Entry Widget for password
password = Entry(win, show="*", width=20)
password.pack()

# Create a button to close the window
Button(win, text="Quit", font=('Helvetica bold', 10), command=close_win).pack(pady=20)

win.mainloop()

How It Works

The show="*" parameter tells the Entry widget to display an asterisk (*) for each character typed. You can use any character instead of "*" ?

from tkinter import *

win = Tk()
win.geometry("400x300")

# Different masking characters
Label(win, text="Asterisk Password:").pack(pady=5)
Entry(win, show="*", width=20).pack(pady=5)

Label(win, text="Dot Password:").pack(pady=5)
Entry(win, show="?", width=20).pack(pady=5)

Label(win, text="Hash Password:").pack(pady=5)
Entry(win, show="#", width=20).pack(pady=5)

win.mainloop()

Getting Password Value

To retrieve the password value, use the get() method on the Entry widget ?

from tkinter import *

win = Tk()
win.geometry("400x200")

def show_password():
    password_value = password_entry.get()
    result_label.config(text=f"Password: {password_value}")

Label(win, text="Enter Password:").pack(pady=10)
password_entry = Entry(win, show="*", width=25)
password_entry.pack(pady=5)

Button(win, text="Show Password", command=show_password).pack(pady=10)
result_label = Label(win, text="")
result_label.pack()

win.mainloop()

Key Parameters

Conclusion

Use the show parameter in Tkinter's Entry widget to create secure password fields. The get() method retrieves the actual password value while keeping the display masked for security.