Save Your Passwords Now! Microsoft Will Delete Them Soon
Published On: June 2, 2025
Microsoft is phasing out the password management feature in its popular Authenticator app, leaving millions of users with a deadline to secure their saved credentials or risk losing them for good.
Starting June 1, 2025, users won’t be able to save new passwords in the app. By July, the autofill feature will stop working. In August, all stored passwords and payment data will be permanently deleted from the app. Microsoft is urging users to export their passwords before then or switch to their Edge browser, which will now handle password storage and autofill instead.
What’s changing?
Microsoft Authenticator has been a go-to tool for two-factor authentication, but it also quietly served as a password manager for many users. It allowed people to store login credentials and payment information, then automatically fill them in when visiting websites or apps.
Microsoft says passwords will still be synced with a user’s Microsoft account and can be accessed through Microsoft Edge. But they won’t transfer automatically, and payment data must be re-entered manually.
Why the change?
Microsoft claims this is part of a broader effort to streamline user security by centralizing password management in Edge and preparing for a passwordless future using passkeys. These passkeys use biometrics or device-based authentication, like fingerprints or facial scans, instead of traditional login credentials.
But while Microsoft frames this move as an upgrade, many users feel it’s a forced migration. You won’t be able to use the Authenticator’s password tool anymore, and if you don’t want to use Edge, you’ll need to act fast to move your data elsewhere.
A push toward Edge?
There’s no denying Microsoft is using this opportunity to give Edge a boost. With Google Chrome holding roughly 66% of the browser market and Edge sitting at just over 5%, this move looks like a nudge toward Microsoft’s own browser.
Critics online argue that the change limits user choice. On Reddit and Twitter, some have pointed out that Microsoft is not just ending a feature, but making people choose between switching browsers or finding a third-party solution.
Adding fuel to the fire, Microsoft previously shut down its Autofill extension for Chrome in December 2024, further isolating non-Edge users.
What should you do?
If you rely on Microsoft Authenticator to manage passwords, now is the time to act. You have a few options:
1. Export your passwords
-
Open the Authenticator app
-
Go to Settings > Export Passwords
-
Choose Export and save the file
-
Import the file into another password manager
2. Install Microsoft Edge
-
Sync your account
-
Let Edge handle your passwords going forward
3. Try a dedicated password manager
- Apps like Bitwarden, 1Password, and NordPass offer cross-platform support, strong encryption, and features like breach alerts and secure sharing