It’s official: the days of stashing your login credentials in Microsoft Authenticator are numbered. Over the next two months, Microsoft will systematically pull the plug on password storage and autofill in its popular security app—nudging users toward its Edge browser or other dedicated password managers. Here’s everything you need to know, from the exact timeline to how you can rescue your precious vault of usernames and passwords before they vanish.
Microsoft has published a simple, three-step schedule for winding down password management in Authenticator:
- June 2025: No more adding or importing new passwords into Authenticator. You’ll still be able to save credentials via autofill until July.
- July 2025: Autofill functionality in Authenticator stops working, and any stored payment information (credit cards, addresses, etc.) is wiped from your device.
- August 1, 2025: All remaining saved passwords disappear from the app for good—and any generated-but-unsaved passwords in your Generator history will be purged as well.
If you’ve been tucking new passwords into Authenticator over the past few months, June is your last window to add or import them. Come July, even the autofill that’s been conveniently completing forms on apps and websites will be shut off.
Before you panic, there’s a silver lining: Microsoft is syncing all your Authenticator passwords and addresses to your Microsoft account. That means they’ll surface in Microsoft Edge—provided you make Edge your device’s default autofill provider. Once Edge is enabled, it’ll pick up right where Authenticator leaves off, filling in usernames, passwords, and addresses across apps and websites.
To switch on Edge autofill:
- iOS
- Install Microsoft Edge from the App Store.
- Open Settings → General → Autofill & Passwords.
- Under “Autofill from,” select Edge.
- Android
- Install Microsoft Edge from Google Play.
- Open Settings → Autofill → Preferred service.
- Choose Edge.
After July, any credit cards or payment details you stored in Authenticator will be deleted from your device—and won’t sync to Edge or any other app. If you need those saved card numbers on your phone, now’s the time to copy them out by hand.
If Edge isn’t your cup of tea, you can still salvage your passwords. Authenticator offers an Export Passwords feature—exporting them as a CSV file that you can then import into services like Bitwarden, 1Password, Google Password Manager, or Apple’s iCloud Keychain.
- Open Authenticator and go to the Password tab.
- Tap the … menu and select Export Passwords.
- Follow the prompts to save the CSV file (you may need your device PIN or biometrics to proceed).
Be sure to complete this export before August 1, 2025, because after that date the app will refuse to show or export any passwords. Once you have the CSV, you can import it into the password manager of your choice—most services offer a straightforward “Import from CSV” option in their settings.
Passwords aren’t the only credentials in town. Authenticator will continue to support passkeys—the FIDO-standard way to log in using biometrics or a device PIN instead of a memorized word or phrase. According to Microsoft:
Authenticator will continue to support passkeys. If you have set up Passkeys for your Microsoft account, ensure that Authenticator remains enabled as your Passkey Provider. Disabling Authenticator will disable your passkeys.
If you’ve already dipped your toes into passkeys, you can keep using them unchanged. But if you haven’t, now might be a good time to explore this phishing‑resistant, no‑password approach—especially since Microsoft is heavily promoting passkeys as the future of account security.
Microsoft isn’t pulling these changes out of thin air. The tech giant has been on a years‑long march toward a passwordless world, touting tools like Windows Hello, FIDO2 security keys, and passkeys to replace static passwords that are easy to phish or reuse across sites.
By centralizing password autofill in Edge, Microsoft can offer a more consistent, feature‑rich experience—complete with Defender SmartScreen checks, password‑leak monitoring, and AI‑powered suggestions—rather than split between two separate apps.
Discover more from GadgetBond
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
