One of the most common and serious risks regarding internet safety is the possibility of password leaks, which can compromise your personal and financial information as well as your online accounts. Password leaks can happen when hackers breach the databases of websites or services that store your passwords, or when you use the same or weak passwords across different sites. In order to avoid such problems, one should always use strong and unique passwords for each site or service they use and update the passwords regularly. And for that, a service like a password manager that can store and generate your passwords securely can really come in handy. In case if your Microsoft edge isn’t opening?
But again, it can be a hassle to use a 3rd party service every time you want to log in as you will have to access the service and copy the password from its provider, which takes a lot of time and sometimes may also fail to fetch the passwords. To counter such issues, almost all modern web browsers offer this feature built-in. Browsers like Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Google Chrome offer a built-in password manager that not only saves your password but also fills it in automatically wherever required. If you are not aware of this service, you have come to the right place. In this guide, we will check out this feature in the Microsoft Edge browser along with its added security and privacy benefits.
Microsoft Edge Privacy Features
Right now, Microsoft Edge is one of the most preferred web browsers available out there. Since this browser comes preinstalled with Windows, users do not need to go through additional installation procedures to set up the browser. Also, Microsoft Edge can synchronize your data from all of your devices so that with a simple login, you can fetch your favorite websites, bookmarks, and saved passwords on any device. So whether you are using your smartphone, laptop, or desktop with freshly installed Windows, you will be able to set up your browser within a few minutes. Here are some of the most promising and reliable safety features that are available with Microsoft Edge regarding password security.
Remember Passwords
This feature allows you to save your passwords for different websites and services in Microsoft Edge, so you don’t have to type them every time you log in. Microsoft Edge stores your passwords securely in your device and encrypts them with your Microsoft account. You can manage your saved passwords in Settings and More> Settings > Profiles > Passwords. To prevent others from checking your passwords, it also adds an additional security layer by asking for your device’s screen lock or pin before revealing the passwords. Furthermore, it stores passwords along with a link to the website so that you can easily look for particular passwords without having to go through hundreds of them.
Autofill Saved Passwords
This is one of the most helpful and time-saving features available with Microsoft Edge. It enables Microsoft Edge users to automatically fill in their saved passwords when visiting a website that requires authentication. It basically detects the link of the website and auto-fills the user ID as well as the password saved in your account. As it can also detect the input fields precisely, you simply need to click on the Sign In button when you visit the website and you are good to go. But if you feel that it can be a security concern for you, you can also turn this feature ON or OFF in browser Settings and more > Settings > Profiles > Passwords > Offer to save passwords. You can also choose whether to ask for your permission before auto-filling passwords in Settings and More> Settings > Profiles > Passwords > Sign in automatically.
Notification About Possible Leak
It would be nearly impossible to know whether your passwords are leaked unless an automated system is regularly keeping track of your password usage all around the web. Well, Microsoft Edge does just that and alerts you if any of your saved passwords have been compromised in a data breach. If detected, Microsoft Edge will instantly warn you about your password leak and you can take the necessary actions right away. Microsoft Edge uses a Password Monitor to do so which scans the web for leaked credentials and compares them with all of your saved passwords.
Reveal Password Feature
Sometimes, you may not remember the password that you created a long time ago or the one that had been generated using a password generator. But if the password was saved in your browser, you can easily check the password using Microsoft Edge’s Reveal password father. This allows you to see the password that you have typed or autofilled in a password field, by clicking on the eye icon next to it.
This can help you check if you have entered the correct password, or if you need to change it. You can also use this feature to copy or edit your password with ease. You can also reveal the passwords saved in your browser by going to the saved passwords section and clicking on the eye icon. However, you will be prompted to enter your device’s screen lock or Windows Hello password to gain access.
Suggest Strong Password Feature
Last but not least, Microsoft Edge manages to remove the need for any 3rd party password generator by offering a built-in powerful password generator. It helps you create strong and unique passwords for each website or service you use, by generating random and complex passwords that are impossible to guess.
You can use this feature when you sign up for a new account or even when you are changing your existing password. Microsoft Edge will automatically save and autofill the suggested password for you. But more importantly, it also follows the usual password guidelines so that you won’t have to edit the password before signing up.
How To Access Saved Passwords in Microsoft Edge
Now that you are well aware of the security features available with Microsoft Edge, let us talk about how you can use the browser’s password manager to check your saved passwords. By regularly checking your saved passwords, you can rest assured that all of your saved passwords are up to date and you can also create a local backup in case you lose access to your main account or the browser. Here’s how you can check saved passwords in Microsoft Edge:
Method 1
- Open Microsoft Edge
- Select Settings from the menu.
- Click on Profiles from the left sidebar, and then click on Passwords in the right panel.
- Here, you will find a list of your saved passwords under the Saved Passwords section. By default, the passwords are hidden considering this section is accessible for all users.
- To view a saved password, click on the eye icon next to the website name.
- Now, you will be prompted to verify your identity using your Windows login credentials. Basically, you will have to input the PIN or password that you use when you log into your system.
- After you enter the PIN, your password will be revealed. You can also copy, edit, or delete the password by clicking on the three-dot icon next to the eye icon.
- Also, once you input your password, it won’t ask for the same again when you are checking out a different password.
- It basically creates a session for you that will be active until you close the browser. Once you restart the browser, you will be prompted to input the PIN again before you can check your saved passwords.
Method 2
- Alternatively, you can also access the saved passwords screen using a shortcut.
- First, open the Edge web browser and click on your profile picture shown in the upper right corner.
- Here, you will find a compact section called wallet that contains your payment information, personal info, and passwords.
- Click on the key icon and it will redirect you to the saved passwords screen.
- Same as before, you will find a list of all of your saved passwords along with a search bar to let you search for saved passwords for a specific platform.
Is It Possible To Remove or Update Saved Passwords in Microsoft Edge?
As we mentioned before, Microsoft Edge offers much more than a simple password storage system. This is a complete password management system that lets you add, update, and delete saved passwords based on your requirements. Also, it has an automated password fetching system that will ask you to save a password in case you are using a different account or a different password with a previously stored user ID. If you click on update, it will automatically update the entry for the website without any manual input. But if you wish to manually delete or update a saved password, here’s how you can do it:
- Navigate to the saved password section in Microsoft Edge.
- To delete a password, click on the three-dot icon next to the website name and select Delete. The password will be deleted from your list and from your device. Keep in mind that once the password is deleted, it will not be auto-filled for that particular website.
- In order to update a password, click on the three-dot icon next to the website name and select Edit.
- Now, a Password Details box will appear, where you can edit the website URL, the username, or the password. If the password or user ID is incorrect, you can manually update the details here.
- Click on Done once you verify the password to save the changes.
- Now, Microsoft Edge will use the updated password whenever you are on the website’s login page.
Also Check: How To Change or Reset Your Yahoo Account Password?
FAQs
A. Yes, there are some safety concerns while saving passwords in a browser. Web browsers are not as secure as some dedicated password managers in terms of accessibility and privacy. While saving passwords in a browser can be convenient, it can also expose your personal and financial information if your browser is accessible to other users. Since browsers store your passwords in a local database, they can be easily accessed by anyone who has physical or remote access to your device. Also, browsers can automatically fill in your username and password on fake websites which can cause password leaks.
A. Yes, Microsoft Edge allows searching for a saved password so that you can easily check, delete, or update a specific password without needing to access the website. You can also do this without an active internet connection and the updated password will be synchronized the next time you connect to the internet. To use the search feature, simply use the search bar provided on top of the saved passwords screen. Here, you can put the website name or even the username as the search query.
A. Yes, you can use saved passwords from Microsoft Edge on your mobile device. You can do this by using either the Microsoft Authenticator app or the Microsoft Edge web browser available on the Play Store. These apps can sync and autofill your passwords saved in Microsoft Edge under your Microsoft account, whether it is on your tablet, laptop, or desktop. If you are going to use the authenticator app, follow the instructions provided here to use saved passwords:
● Download and install the Microsoft Authenticator app on your iOS or Android device.
● Open the app, go to Settings > Beta > Autofill and turn the toggle ON.
● Go to the Passwords tab and sign in with your Microsoft account, or sync passwords from an existing account in the app.
● Make the Authenticator app the default autofill provider on your device.
● Now, you can visit a website or an app that requires a password and the Authenticator app will offer to autofill it for you. You can also save new passwords or even view your existing passwords in the same app.
A. If you want to export your saved passwords from Microsoft Edge to another browser, you can do so by following these steps:
● Open Microsoft Edge and navigate to the saved passwords section
● To export the saved passwords, click on the three-dot icon next to the Saved Passwords heading and select Export Passwords. Again, you will be asked to verify your identity using your Windows PIN for security.
● After you enter your verification, choose a location to save the CSV file that contains your passwords. Click on Save to download the file.
● The CSV file will have your passwords in plain text, so make sure to keep it safe and delete it after you import it to another browser.
● To import your passwords to another browser, you will need to use the browser’s import feature. Different browsers may have different methods to import passwords, so you will need to check the browser’s help page or settings for more details.
Conclusion
We hope that you are now completely familiar with Microsoft Edge browser’s password manager feature and you can use the feature safely to save your password and use them without any problem. This is one of the most secure and accessibility-friendly features offered by Microsoft Edge that can make your routine Internet surfing a lot easier. On top of that, you can easily set up your network profile on any system with just your Windows account and Microsoft Edge will do the rest of the work for you. But, you have to be extra careful while using the saved passwords feature on untrusted devices, especially when it comes to passwords of your bank accounts and other critical assets. As for social media accounts and other entertainment services, using Microsoft Edge’s saved passwords feature is a good idea.
