Microsoft will make saved passwords inaccessible in its Authenticator app starting August 2025, cutting off access to stored and unsaved generated credentials. Users who fail to export their data before the deadline will risk losing critical login information for good.
According to Microsoft, this change is intended to streamline autofill and password management by integrating these functions within the Edge browser. While promoting enhanced syncing and security, Microsoft has made clear that Authenticator will no longer retain any password data after the cutoff.
What happens to your saved passwords in Authenticator
After the deadline, Authenticator will erase all locally stored password data and unsaved generated credentials. Addresses and payment data will also be deleted from devices starting in July 2025. None of this information will transfer automatically to Edge or any other Microsoft service. The app itself will remain available, though, and continue supporting passkeys and authentication features.
Password management is being fully migrated to Microsoft Edge, which offers synced credentials and built-in protections like SmartScreen and Password Monitor. Users who want continued access must switch to the browser or move their credentials to another password manager.
The changes have already started. Since June, users can no longer add or import new passwords into Authenticator. Autofill functionality remains available through July but will be disabled entirely starting in August.
Where to move your saved credentials
Switch to Edge
To continue using autofill and password sync, Microsoft instructs users to switch to Edge. That means downloading the Edge browser on your mobile device, setting it as the default autofill provider in device settings, and signing in with your Microsoft account. Saved passwords and addresses will sync automatically, but payment information must be manually re-added.
Export passwords and import them into a third-party password manager
Users who don’t want to use Edge are advised to export their passwords from Authenticator and import them into a third-party password manager. Options include Bitwarden, 1Password, Google Password Manager, and iCloud Keychain. Addresses must be copied manually, and payment cards must be recreated.
Exports must be completed before August 1; after that, no data will be recoverable from the app.
Why Microsoft is retiring password storage in Authenticator
Microsoft is retiring password storage in Authenticator in response to a persistent threat: Over 99% of daily identity attacks still target passwords. By consolidating credential management in Edge and backing alternatives like passkeys and FIDO2, it aims to reduce password-based risk across its ecosystem.
As Microsoft rethinks security and recovery, it’s not just Authenticator getting a reset. Read more on why it’s replacing the iconic Blue Screen of Death in Windows 11.
