Yes, Microsoft Edge Password Manager is as safe as a built-in browser password manager gets in 2025. And they’ve been doubling down on their password manager lately. If you use the Edge browser, you’ve likely seen prompts to save passwords.
Microsoft even migrated all mobile password storage from the Authenticator app to Edge. But should you trust Edge with your logins? In this article, we’ll go over how Edge’s password manager works, its security features, weaknesses and how it stacks up against dedicated services. We’ll also show you how to disable or switch if needed.
How Does Microsoft Edge Password Manager Protect Your Passwords?
Edge protects your logins by encrypting them on your device and tying the decryption key to your operating system account. On Windows, it uses the Data Protection API. In practice, your vault only opens when you are signed in to your profile, so stolen files or backups don’t reveal passwords.
When you turn on sync, passwords are sent through Microsoft’s servers in encrypted form. They are encrypted in transit and stored encrypted at rest. Sensitive items are encrypted before upload, so a copy on the server is unreadable without keys that live on your devices. Domain matching prevents autofill on lookalike sites, and Password Monitor flags weak, reused or breached credentials. SmartScreen and domain checks reduce phishing tricks during sign-in.
On the device, you can require authentication before autofill is enabled. Edge asks for Windows Hello, a device PIN or a primary password. You choose whether to ask every time or once per session. Viewing entries, revealing passwords and exporting also require reauthentication. Passkeys add an extra layer by replacing passwords with cryptographic keys that are unlocked using Face ID, Touch ID or Windows Hello.
But Edge’s model is not zero-knowledge and your Microsoft account is the gate to sync. If malware runs under your account or someone knows your device passcode, protections weaken. Harden your setup with a long Windows password, two-factor on your Microsoft account, BitLocker and the “require authentication before autofill” setting. Keep Edge updated and remove risky extensions to shrink the attack surface.
Can Microsoft See My Saved Passwords?
Microsoft could potentially see your passwords if you use sync. Edge encrypts passwords locally and ties decryption to your Windows or macOS account. If you keep passwords only on the device and never turn on sync, Microsoft has no visibility.
When you enable sync, your vault travels through Microsoft’s cloud in encrypted form and sits encrypted at rest. The catch is that Edge doesn’t use a user controlled, zero-knowledge key by default. Microsoft manages the sync system and can technically access what’s needed to decrypt in limited scenarios, like legal requests. There’s no separate master password that only you know that would block even Microsoft.
Day to day, your passwords aren’t being viewed. They’re protected by transport encryption, server-side encryption and extra on-device encryption before upload. But the trust model is different from managers that can’t decrypt vaults under any circumstances.
You can reduce exposure. Keep a strong Microsoft account password with 2-factor. Consider limiting sync to accounts you actually need across devices. Turn on authentication before autofill so viewing or filling requires Windows Hello or your device password. If you need strict zero-knowledge guarantees or broad sharing and audits, a dedicated manager is a better fit.
What Features Does Microsoft Edge Password Manager Offer?
If you’re an Edge user, this is the vault you might actually use. It sits inside your browser, locks behind Windows Hello, and keeps the basics tidy. Here are the features that matter in practice.
Auto-save and autofill
Edge will save new logins and fill them only on the exact matching domain. That eliminates typos and blocks most look-alike phishing pages. You can review or edit entries in Settings and turn autofill off for any site you don’t want saved.
Password generator
At sign-up or password change screens, Edge will suggest long, unique passwords. Accepting a suggestion saves it instantly, so you don’t have to remember anything. If a site rejects the format, you can adjust the length or characters and save the final version back into the vault.
Password Monitor
Edge checks for weak and reused passwords, then checks your entries against known breach datasets. You get clear prompts to rotate risky logins, with links to the website’s change page. Fix the highest-impact items first: email, banking, cloud storage, and social accounts.
Authentication before autofill
Add a second gate for fills and reveals. Edge can ask for Windows Hello, your device PIN or a primary password every time or once per session. Viewing a password in plaintext or exporting the vault also requires re-authentication, which is great for shared or office machines.
Passkeys
Create phishing-resistant credentials that unlock with Windows Hello instead of a typed password. Where a site supports passkeys, sign-in becomes a quick biometric check. Passkeys sync across your signed-in Windows devices and Edge will fall back to your stored password if a site doesn’t support passkeys yet.
Sync, profiles, and office access
Sign in with your Microsoft account to sync passwords across Edge on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. Use separate Edge profiles to keep work and personal vaults separate. If you prefer more control, skip sync and keep entries encrypted on a single device.
Here’s where Edge’s built-in manager starts to feel cramped. It’s great if you stay inside Edge, but the gaps show up the moment you need flexibility, sharing, or stricter privacy. Keep these in mind:
What Are the Limitations of Microsoft Edge’s Password Manager?
Edge’s password manager starts to show its gaps when you desire a bit more flexibility. So there are a few things to keep in mind.
- Works only within Edge. There is no official way to use the same vault in other browsers without importing it.
- It’s not zero-knowledge by default. Microsoft runs the sync, and there is no user-controlled master key.
- No built-in sharing for family, contractors or teammates.
- No built-in TOTP code storage, so you need a separate app for that.
- Basic organization; no multiple vaults, folders, tags or item-level permissions.
- Closed source with no public audits.
- Your Microsoft account is a single point of failure. Weak account security can be a big risk.
- Limited team and enterprise controls; no admin console, role-based access, SCIM, or activity logs.
- On mobile, autofill depends on using Edge, not a system-wide provider on every platform.
Are my Edge passwords safe if I lose my Windows device?
Yes, mostly. If the device is locked, and you have the proper protections in place. Edge encrypts passwords and ties decryption to your Windows account, so a powered-off or locked laptop won’t reveal vault data. With BitLocker on, the drive contents are also encrypted, so offline snooping is blocked. A thief would need to unlock your Windows profile first. Viewing or exporting passwords will ask for your Windows Hello, PIN or device password again, so casual access is blocked.
Risk goes up if the device was unlocked when it went missing or if someone knows your PIN. In that case they could use sites where you were already signed in or trigger autofill if you didn’t enable the “require authentication before autofill” setting.
If you lose a device, act fast: use Find My Device to mark it lost and if needed, erase it; change your Microsoft account password; review and sign out old sessions; revoke any trusted devices; rotate high-value logins like email, banking and cloud storage. Then turn on or confirm the basics on your remaining devices: a long Windows password or strong Windows Hello PIN, BitLocker, screen-lock timers and the Edge setting that requires authentication before autofill.
How to Disable or Migrate Away from Edge Password Manager
If you’re moving to a dedicated manager, start by stopping Edge from grabbing new passwords. That prevents double prompts and keeps your vaults from getting out of sync.
Disable password saving
This takes a minute and saves you a lot of headaches later.
Desktop (Windows/macOS/Linux)
- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Menu ⋯ > Settings > Profiles > Passwords.
- Toggle Offer to save passwords off.
- Optional: toggle Automatically sign in off and Autofill passwords off if you don’t want Edge to fill logins.
You’ll know it worked when Edge stops asking to save new passwords on sign-in pages.
iOS (iPhone/iPad)
- In Edge app, tap … > Settings > Accounts > Passwords.
- Turn Offer to save passwords off.
Android
- In Edge app, tap ☰ > Settings > Account > Passwords.
- Turn Save passwords off.
- Optional: disable address and payment autofill if you’re fully migrating.
Export your passwords
Export before you change anything else. You want a clean snapshot to import into your new manager.
- Settings > Profiles > Passwords.
- Next to Saved passwords, click ⋯ > Export passwords.
- Confirm with your Windows or macOS login.
- Save the CSV somewhere secure.
The export file is plain text. Import it, then delete it. Don’t leave it sitting in Downloads.
Import to your new manager
- Now bring everything into the tool you actually plan to use.
- Open your new password manager and find Import.
- Choose CSV or Edge (Chromium) CSV, select the file, and import.
- Test a few important logins to confirm autofill and updates work.
Finish the switch
- Clean up in Edge to prevent duplicate pop-ups later.
- In Edge, delete old entries in Settings > Profiles > Passwords once you’ve verified the import.
- Keep Offer to save passwords off so Edge doesn’t start collecting again.
- Optional: turn off Edge breach alerts if you prefer your new manager to handle them (Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Security > Show alerts when passwords found in online leak).
At this point your new manager should be the only one saving and filling passwords.
Note for former Authenticator users
If you previously used Microsoft Authenticator for password autofill, export there first if needed, then consolidate in your new manager. Microsoft moved mobile password storage into Edge, so keeping one vault reduces confusion.
Wrapping Up
Edge’s password manager is good enough for daily use if you live in Edge and keep your Windows account locked down. Encryption ties your vault to your device, Windows Hello adds a gate, and Password Monitor will nudge you to fix weak or exposed logins.
The gaps are real. No zero-knowledge by default, no sharing, no built-in TOTP, and a browser lock-in that gets annoying if you switch tools. It also assumes a clean device, so basic hygiene matters.
If you stay, harden it: long Windows password or PIN, BitLocker, 2FA on your Microsoft account, and “require authentication before autofill”. If you want more control, cross-platform polish and team features, start with the best password managers of 2025.