Microsoft Authenticator Is Losing Password Support—And Shifting Users to Edge
While Microsoft doesn’t have the same reputation as Google for abruptly killing off services, it’s not above phasing out features when company strategy shifts. That’s exactly what’s happening to Microsoft Authenticator, which is shedding more functionality over the summer. The once multi-functional app is slowly being stripped down, and come August 1, it will no longer support saved passwords or payment information—a move that further pushes users into Microsoft’s broader Edge ecosystem.
The first signs of change began in June, when support for adding or importing new passwords was cut off. In July, Microsoft went further by disabling autofill capabilities within the app. Now, with the upcoming August update, users will lose access to any passwords and payment data stored in the app. This doesn’t mean your data is gone for good, but rather that it will be migrated for use exclusively in Microsoft Edge, assuming you’re signed into the same Microsoft account.
Microsoft’s blog post explaining the change emphasizes that while saved passwords will remain accessible through Edge, generated passwords and the generator history will not be transferred. If you’ve relied on Microsoft Authenticator’s password generation feature, you’ll need to manually copy any saved entries from the Generator history in the app’s Password tab to ensure you don’t lose them in the transition.
Interestingly, Microsoft isn’t completely abandoning all forms of credential storage within Authenticator. Passkeys, the next-generation, passwordless sign-in method, will continue to be supported. In fact, Microsoft makes it clear that if you’ve already created passkeys for your account, you must retain the Authenticator app to manage them. Deleting the app or moving away from it will disable your ability to use those passkeys—effectively locking you out unless reconfigured.
Ultimately, this update reflects a tightening integration between Microsoft’s apps and services, aiming to consolidate credential management within Edge. That may benefit users already deep into Microsoft’s ecosystem, but for those who relied on Authenticator as a standalone password manager, it marks the end of an era. You’ll either need to switch to Microsoft Edge for continued support—or look elsewhere for a more independent password management solution.
