Microsoft is pulling the plug on Authenticator’s password management features
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Summary
- Microsoft is phasing out the password management and autofill features of its Authenticator app between June and August 2025 to consolidate these functions within the Microsoft Edge browser.
- Users who want to continue using their saved passwords and addresses for autofill will need to use the Microsoft Edge browser on their smartphones and set it as their autofill provider; payment information will not be migrated and will be deleted from Authenticator in July 2025.
- While password management is being removed, Microsoft Authenticator will continue to support two-factor authentication (2FA) codes and passkeys, with users needing to ensure the app remains the default for Passkey Provider.
Microsoft intends to streamline its password management strategy, and that is resulting in its Authenticator app being deprecated.
The app’s functionality isn’t simply limited to one-time 2FA codes — it also doubles as a password manager, complete with autofill capabilities that work seamlessly with Edge . However, Microsoft wants to consolidate these features within Edge for a more unified user experience, and thus, starting in June, the Authenticator app’s role as a password management app will begin to phase out.
Highlighted by the tech giant in a new support post, via BleepingComputer, partial discontinuation will begin in June 2025, with the app’s password management-focused and autofill features slated to be fully deprecated by August 2025. Here’s a brief timeline:
- Starting June 2025, you will no longer be able to save new passwords in Authenticator.
- During July 2025, you will not be able to use autofill with Authenticator.
- From August 2025, your saved passwords will no longer be accessible in Authenticator.
Passkeys and 2FA codes support isn’t going anywhere
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Users that wish to continue using their saved passwords and addresses for autofill will need to separately install Edge on their smartphone. “Your saved passwords (but not your generated password history) and addresses are securely synced to your Microsoft account, and you can continue to access them and enjoy seamless autofill functionality with Microsoft Edge,” wrote the tech giant.
To continue using generated passwords, users need to manually save them from the app’s Generator history from the Password tab. Similarly, to continue using autofill with Edge, users need to enable Edge as their default autofill provider. To do so;
- Download Edge.
- Head to your smartphone’s native settings and type in Autofill. Tap on Preferred service (exact setting may vary by device).
- Tap Change and select Edge.
- Sign in to Edge with your Microsoft account (the same one that you used for Authenticator). Your passwords and addresses should now be synced and available to autofill.
It’s worth noting that payment information can not be synced. After July 2025, “any payment information stored in Authenticator will be deleted from your device.” Users will have to manually re-enter their payment information in Edge if they wish to continue using autofill for payments. Also worth noting is that this change does not apply to passkeys. Users simply have to ensure that Microsoft Authenticator remains enabled as their default Passkey Provider.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to use Edge, you can export your passwords to a different service by heading to Authenticator Settings > Export Passwords > Export, and then importing the saved file to the password manager of your choice.
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